It Will End in Blood
by Fyrewing of CinderClan
Summary: A new age is dawning and Phaedra, daughter of FireClan's leader, is blamed for her father's murder. Exiled and alone, she joins the Five, an elite group of rebels. Will she save the land of Kyto, or destroy it? My first fanfic, R&R please.
1. Allegiances

**This is and will be for a long time a work in progress. It's also my first and I don't really know how to use this website yet, so I might make some mistakes. In fact, I invariably WILL make mistakes. So beware, but go ahead and R&R! Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors, but all of the characters, clans, and variations on the Erin Hunter format are mine. In fact, the only things belonging to Erin Hunter are the basic clan and allegiance formats, warriors-apprentice-etc. hierarchy, and a few terms such as Twolegs and kittypets. Sorry if the names are hard to pronounce, most of them are Greek or Native American. I've included pronunciation guides on the ones I think are hardest. Of course, you can pronounce them any way that makes you happy. As the story continues, I'll add characters to the allegiances.**

**Allegiances**:

**MurderClan**

Leader – Nyxclaw (nix claw): _broad-shouldered black tom, bloodred claws and eyes_

Deputy – Phoenix: _slim auburn tom, yellow eyes_

Medicine Cat – Keahi (kyah hee): _golden tabby she-cat, green eyes _(Apprentice: Zev)

Warriors:  
Midnight: _scarred black she-cat, yellow eyes, no pupils_

Queens:

Apprentices:  
Zev: _smoky gray tom, black eyes_

Elders:

**MoonClan**

Leader – Esarosa (eesa rowsa): _slender white she-cat, one blue and one orange eye, silver claws_

Deputy – Damian (dah mee in): _dark gray tom, amber eyes_ (Apprentice: Cytheria)

Medicine Cat – Mingan (ming gen): _tuxedo tom, ice-blue eyes_

Warriors:

Queens:

Apprentices:  
Cytheria (sih theer eeyah): _calico she-cat, brown eyes_

Elders:

**FireClan**

Leader - Xingu (zin joo): _ginger tom, blue eyes_

Deputy - Dragon: _steely gray tom, green eyes_

Medicine Cat - Astrid: _honey-colored she-cat, blue eyes_

Warriors:  
Vadin: _dark gray tabby tom, amber eyes  
_Cedric: _long-furred ginger tom, green eyes_

Queens:  
Eirlys (air liss): _white she-cat, blue eyes_

**LeafClan**

**The Five**

Leader – Daemyn (day min):_ dark brown tabby tom, green eyes_

Deputy – Leavitt (lev it): _silver tom, gold markings, ice-blue eyes_

Medicine Cat – Chanlyeya (chahn lay ah): _cream tabby she-cat, amber eyes_

Warriors:  
Syaoran (sy orin): _huge black tom, yellow eyes_  
Electra: _tortoiseshell she-cat, gold eyes_

**Others**

Faolan (fow len): _slim black tom, dark blue eyes_

Phaedra (fay eedra): _mottled red-orange-gold she-cat, green eyes_

Pyralis: _chocolate brown tom, red-orange eyes_


	2. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Legend tells that, in the time before cats, a great famine came to the land of Kyto. Kyto was a thriving continent full of wonderful creatures like the phoenix and dragon, and it is said that in those days the sound of a unicorn's hoofs cantering across an open glade and the glint off a sea serpent's scales sunning in the bay were a common thing. The land of Kyto knew nothing of the Twolegs living on continents to the west and east. The land of Kyto was a land of mysteries and beauty, untouched by iron and steel._

_But in the great famine, the largest animals died without enough food to sustain their huge bodies and vegetation wilted as clouds covered the sun. Eventually even the creatures living in the sea felt the deadly touch of hunger and disease. It was a terrible time as more and more species died out entirely, eventually leaving only the little scavengers who could feed off the bodies of their larger kin._

_These little scavengers, mainly the mice, birds, and fish, lived for a long time, fearing light and danger and craving the dark and damp. They bred and thrived and eventually became bold enough to venture into the sun, taking everything and everywhere for their own in this new absence of predators. Of course, many fell prey to sickness and injury, as is the way of things, but the species survived and thrived._

_But even for these little creatures, luck would soon run out. In time they overpopulated and found themselves in another famine quite as bad as the first. It looked as if Kyto would lose all life forever and become a barren wasteland. However, Qamra, Moon Goddess and Kosuke, Sun God, banded together to create a new breed of life called cats, who feared nothing but each other and could stop the overpopulation of the little creatures. The cats did as they were created to do and fed on the little scavengers, becoming powerful and graceful hunters._

_As balance was restored and life began to progress normally, the cats split into two groups they called Clans. MoonClan was governed by Qamra, who taught her cats compassion and kindness and how to heal their brother Clan, FireClan. Kosuke taught FireClan to become great hunters and provide for their sister clan, MoonClan. There was never any rivalry between the two Clans, and the law that said all kits belonged to their mother's clan prevented any imbalance. The two Clans depended on each other for survival and were as close as brother and sister._

_But even under the guidance of Qamra and Kosuke, the Clans eventually fell prey to traits such as anger, malice, cruelty, and vengefulness. There were some cats who rejected the god and goddess's rule entirely and formed MurderClan, whose only purpose was to destabilize Qamra and Kosuke's reign. Soon MurderClan was a Clan of many cats, and even the original two Clans were becoming corrupt._

_In a desperate attempt to restore peace, Qamra created another Clan of cats called LeafClan who were peaceful forest-dwellers knowing nothing of violence except that which they used to hunt prey. She hoped their purity would overcome MurderClan's madness and restore balance. Her attempt failed; the MurderClan cats quickly outnumbered LeafClan, who lost their purity and became just another element in the war._

_Now it was Kosuke's turn to attempt to end the war. He decided to wipe out the cats entirely and start again with a new species, for Kosuke's light could destroy as well as create. Qamra learned of his plan and pleaded with him to spare the cats, and their argument quickly turned into a battle. Qamra's skill, however, lay in healing, not fighting, and Kosuke killed her with one fateful blow._

_Qamra's death was enough to rid both MoonClan and FireClan of all their trust in either her or Kosuke and Kosuke found himself terribly weakened. The more cats who left his reign, the weaker he became, until finally the Sun God followed his mate into death. The Clans struggled and fought for centuries, each cat with only one goal: to survive. It looked as if the conflict could never be resolved._

_Their only hope lay in that mysterious band called The Five, who appeared a full thousand years after Kosuke's death. The Five belonged to no Clan and were loyal to no leader except their own, a powerful male called Daemyn. The Five were mysterious and to many cats were no more than legend, although they did truly exist. No cat knew their true intentions, but with all the conflict and blood of the thousand years since, all they could do was hope._


	3. Chapter One: Murder

**Chapter One: Murder**

It was a cold morning, unusually cold. Phaedra yawned widely as she stretched her lithe red paws out before her. Even in the gray dawn light, she could make out the little golden-orange markings snaking their way down her ankles. Her pelt was strange, but beautiful; she'd been told that by at least a dozen cats, not including her parents and brothers.

The fur on her neck bristled; she knew why she felt cold. Dragon and Xingu weren't sleeping next to her as usual; Xingu splayed out on her left with his muzzle tilted upward to catch a midnight breeze, Dragon curled into a tight, bristly gray ball on her right, his spiky fur poking into her back. It was a sting she was used to, a familiar pain that reminded her she was safe. She'd never met another cat with her youngest brother's stiff fur, bristly and sharp as a hedgehog's quills. She liked to tease him about it. "C'mon, Porcupine!" "Hey, Porc, I bet I can eat more than you!"

Where were her brothers in this cold, gray dawn? Dragon usually got up early to go hunting with his mentor, but Xingu slept late. Almost every morning Phaedra had to wake him up so he would get to the fresh-kill pile in time for some breakfast. It was rare that Phaedra was the last one up. Yawning again, she padded out of the den and stopped.

The whole Clan was gathered around the rock in the middle of the camp, the rock with her father's den in the base. Ears perked with curiosity, Phaedra padded closer, spotting her brothers off to the side. "What's going on?" she mewed, trotting over.

She noticed Dragon was shivering; Xingu's blue eyes were wide with shock. "What's going on?" she repeated, a note of urgency entering her tone.

When neither of her brothers answered, Phaedra felt an urge to show them some claw, but before she could either master or obey the impulse a voice spoke from behind her. "Suvan is dead."

Phaedra whipped around, sure that she had misheard. Her mother, Eirlys, was standing at the base of the rock, her white fur unusually ill-groomed. Her blue eyes were red with weeping. "Come again?"

"Suvan is dead," Eirlys repeated, her voice thin and grieving. This time Phaedra was sure she hadn't misheard.

"What? Father is dead? No, no, that's impossible," she cried. "He can't be dead."

"We saw the body," Dragon said in a tiny voice from behind her. "And there's fur between his claws."

"Red fur," Xingu supplied.

Phaedra's head froze. "But," she whispered, "there's only one cat in FireClan with red fur..."

Eirlys nodded miserably.

"You."


	4. Chapter Two: Accused

**Chapter Two: Accused**

"But - but that's impossible," Phaedra stammered. "Why in Kyto would I kill Dad?"

Staring around at what was left of her family, she was horror-stricken; her brothers were averting their gazes as if she was already outcast.

"But you know I didn't do it. You know!" Her voice rose to a scream and the Clan looked around. Phaedra stiffened as the cats parted, forming a narrow passageway. Astrid, the medicine cat, was walking toward her. A light breeze ruffled her honey-colored fur and her pale blue eyes were narrowed in accusation.

"Suvan died by a red cat's claws," Astrid proclaimed, getting straight to the point. Her voice sounded like peppermint; crisp, clear, and fresh. "As we all know, there is only one red cat in FireClan, one with a clear motive for killing Suvan."

Phaedra couldn't keep herself quiet. "A clear motive?" she burst out angrily. "What the hell are you talking about, Astrid? Why would I want to kill my own father?" A moment after she spoke, she realized what Astrid was about to say.

"When a leader dies a new leader must be appointed," Astrid began, her cold sky-blue eyes fixed on Phaedra. "If the leader has no mate or children, his deputy becomes leader. If he does have a mate or children, the Choosing begins."

Phaedra growled low in her throat. "To hell with the Choosing, Astrid. Vadin can have the leadership if he likes. I've no wish for it."

"Be that as it may, you have committed murder - "

"I HAVE NOT COMMITTED MURDER! I didn't kill my father, Astrid, what kind of twisted cat would do that? I'm not competing in the Choosing, Astrid, and if you think I'm going to that's your own bloody fault - "

"The Choosing will precede the Judging," Astrid said loudly, with an air of finality. Realizing that her argument was no use, Phaedra angrily wiped away her tears with a mottled paw. It was bad enough that her father had been murdered - now she was being accused of doing it herself. As if she would do something like that. Weren't her tears evidence enough? But no. Astrid held the cards now that Suvan was dead and Vadin preparing for the Choosing, and Phaedra's fate lay in her paws. It was already decided; Astrid had hated her ever since Phaedra's status as leader's daughter had begun to eclipse her own.

She glanced wildly around. FireClan's cats were retreating to the edges of the camp to sit in a wide circle around the rock, where the Choosing would take place. Phaedra had never seen a Choosing; she only knew that the competitors - in this case Vadin, the deputy, and her brothers - fought for leadership. A cat could choose not to compete, or draw out at any time during the battle. Phaedra's mother, Eirlys, wouldn't compete - she was in the late stages of pregnancy and not fit for a battle.

Her brothers were grooming their pelts as if they were preparing for their warrior ceremony, not a bloody fight for leadership. "You're not actually going to fight, are you?" Phaedra demanded of them. "Can't you let Vadin have the leadership? You're apprentices, for Kyto's sake!"

Xingu and Dragon glanced at each other. "We're each six seasons old, Phaedra - Dad was going to make us warriors this moon, remember? We've finished with training," Xingu said.

"And we've both agreed that whoever draws blood first wins, and the other will step out. That way neither of us will be seriously hurt," Dragon finished.

Full of dread, Phaedra stared at her brothers - Xingu, with his fluffy ginger fur and sleepy blue eyes that always looked as if he'd just gotten up; Dragon, with his stiff, spiky gray fur and innocent green eyes. She loved both of them more than anything, more than their parents - they had always done everything together, the three of them. Now she was accused of murder, and they were fighting to claim the rank that had been their father's just the night before.

But she couldn't stop them. She was only the eldest by four minutes and thirteen seconds - Xingu and Dragon together could easily overpower her, and even alone they had a fair chance. Neither of them were ready to be leader. Vadin was the obvious choice - but Vadin wasn't in his prime anymore.

Xingu licked her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry about us - we'll be careful."

Dragon playfully shoved him aside and bit Phaedra's ear, mumbling through a mouthful of fur, "We'll make sure Astrid goes easy on you, too. You can't have killed Dad, no matter what any cat says."

Phaedra smiled sadly at her brothers. After the fight they would no longer be so innocent - she knew that, although they didn't. Trying to draw the other's blood would change them. Who knows, one of them might give in to the bloodlust and try to go farther. That thought disappeared from her mind as Xingu and Dragon dissolved into a play fight, each with their claws sheathed. They would be okay.


	5. Chapter Three: Choosing

**Chapter Three: Choosing**

"The Choosing will begin," Astrid called from atop the rock.

"Be safe," Phaedra whispered as her brothers padded to the base of the rock. Vadin was waiting there, his gray tabby fur fluffed out with excitement. Phaedra felt only distant respect for the tom she barely knew; she neither hated him nor particularly liked him. As the deputy, she felt loyalty towards him, but her loyalty to her brothers was stronger.

There was no prearranged ceremony, no prerequisite to the battle - Astrid simply flicked her tail, and the fur began to fly.

First of all Xingu and Dragon effortlessly evaded Vadin's lashing claws, slipped around him, and came together behind him. It was a move they'd practiced often enough in the sandy training hollow, with Phaedra as their pretend target. Vadin turned around and caught Dragon's ear in his sharp claws - Phaedra stiffened, but Xingu struck Vadin's paw, releasing Dragon. Then Xingu leapt onto Vadin's back, teeth buried in the deputy's scruff, while Dragon sank his teeth into Vadin's tail and pulled hard.

With an earsplitting yowl, the deputy made one last attempt to twist out of the brothers' grips, but failed and came crashing down to the sunbaked ground. Vadin pummeled the ground in defeat and Xingu and Dragon released him. The deputy slunk into the shadow of an elm to watch the rest of the battle.

Now Xingu and Dragon had nothing to do but turn on each other. Phaedra winced at the looks of reluctance in her brothers' faces; one of them, and only one, would win this battle. Up till now they'd done everything together, none of the siblings gaining or losing any more than the others, all of them sharing responsibility. That would change today.

Seeking to end it quickly, Dragon lunged forward with a needled paw toward Xingu's foreleg. Xingu grabbed the incoming paw easily in his teeth and flipped him, another move they'd practiced frequently. Phaedra stared at Dragon's paw, looking for blood, but his stiff, spiky fur had protected him.

Trapped on his back with Xingu's paws on his chest, Dragon accepted his defeat calmly enough. Xingu reached down with his teeth and gently nicked Dragon's shoulder. A single drop of blood beaded the grey fur. Xingu got off his brother then, and Dragon lowered his head. "Okay, you won."

Xingu drew himself up to his full height - he was as tall as a cat twice his age. "I name my deputy, Dragon."

He glanced at Phaedra as if seeking her approval; Phaedra smiled and nodded, showing that was fine with her. There was no chance of her being deputy after all that mess about Suvan's murder. That reminded her of what was coming after the Choosing - her Judging. Dread enveloped her for a moment, but only a moment. Xingu and Dragon could overpower whatever decision Astrid made easily.

"And now," Astrid announced, as if she'd read her mind, "comes the Judging."


	6. Chapter Four: Judgment

**If I don't get at least three more reviews, I will not post another chapter. So there. Please, please, please review. I'm getting so many hits, but NO ONE IS REVIEWING!!**

**Chapter Four: Judging**

Phaedra shifted her paws uneasily and glanced at her brothers, willing them to speak. After all, they were leader and deputy now and should be able to override Astrid's decisions. Xingu saw her look and said swiftly, "Actually, Astrid, there's no need to - "

"I think you will find that the Law requires all close family members to the accused to remain silent during the Judging," Astrid said smoothly.

Phaedra froze. How would Dragon and Xingu defend her now? "But I didn't kill him!" she burst out. "Seriously! I mean, I didn't even try to compete in the Choosing, so why would I want to kill my own Dad?"

She knew she was doomed as soon as she saw the look on Astrid's face. It was combined hatred and triumph. Astrid had wanted her dead for a long time, she knew that - she hated Phaedra because she was prettier than her and she was jealous because, while Phaedra was free to mate with whomever she chose, Astrid had to remain single to walk the lonely path of a medicine cat.

"The fur between your father's claws was red. You are the only cat with red fur in this Clan. Therefore you must be guilty. Murder is punishable by death - "

"No!" Xingu protested, stepping up onto the Rock. "You can't have her killed, Astrid, I forbid it!" Phaedra couldn't help thinking that her brother looked absurd, arguing with the much older medicine cat. "As leader of this Clan, I say that Phaedra is innocent!"

Astrid glared at him, her eyes smoldering. "What did I tell you of the Law, Xingu? You may be leader of the Clan, but I have more experience than you. Don't forget it."

_How can she talk to him like that?_ Phaedra wondered. _Couldn't he have her punished?_

Dragon stepped up behind Xingu for support. "Xingu's right, Astrid! You can't have her killed!"

"Maybe I can't," Astrid spat back. She looked quite demented in her hatred of Phaedra, who winced as those blazing eyes turned on her again. "But I can certainly have her exiled. And that is what I proclaim. Phaedra is now an exile!"

"But - "

"If you enter our territory again, you can expect death," Astrid snarled, her loud voice easily thundering over Phaedra's brothers' pleas. "Go, now!"

Phaedra cast a desperate glance at her brothers and her mother, who was standing frozen at the base of the Rock. "Xingu - Dragon..."

"Go," Astrid said in an ominously soft voice.

Phaedra knew she had no choice but to go. Her own fur had proved her guilty. The childish part of her was still exclaiming, _This is so unfair!_ but her mature half knew that she couldn't argue. She couldn't compete with Astrid.

_That's it. I'm an exile._


	7. REVIEWING PRIZE!

**REVIEWING PRIZE!!**

**Eurgh. I didn't get the reviews I wanted, but I can't resist my urge to write. So, instead I'm offering a prize. Anyone who reviews on ANY of my fanfictions can request for me to write a one-shot about something of their choosing. If you reviewed, I will do it. This also applies to the people who already reviewed on my fanfics, whose names I am too lazy to include. Here are the guidelines:**

**1. You can request a specific relationship, death, battle, etc.**

**2. It doesn't have to be a songfic.**

**3. It will only be a one-shot (one chapter long).**

**4. It doesn't have to be in the Warriors series, but it has to use characters from that series.**

**Besides those rules, you can basically ask for anything. Of course, if it's completely unreasonable or your request is incomprehensible, I can choose not to do it. Apart from that, I am honor-bound to complete your request.**

**Please, people, REVIEW!! Look at this. I'm reduced to begging. Please? Please? Please? Free one-shot!! Argh. Please...please...please...**

**Please?**


	8. Chapter Five: Exile

**I've decided to start writing longer chapters. At least 1000 words in each one.**

**Chapter Five: Exile**

_This is it,_ was all Phaedra could think as two warriors escorted her to the border. _This is it. I'm dead. No exile survives more than a moon._

She glanced at the warriors on her right and left. One of them ducked his head in shame when she met his eyes. It was Cedric, a friend of her father's. He knew she hadn't killed him - he'd helped look after Phaedra and her brothers as kits - but was too afraid to oppose Astrid. _Does Astrid control everyone?_ Phaedra thought bitterly.

The other warrior glared back at her when she looked at him. She didn't know his name, but his look of hatred meant that he thought her guilty. _I didn't kill him!_ she exclaimed yet again in her mind, but it would be no use saying it aloud.

"This is our border," he said roughly, pushing her over it. Phaedra bristled - she hadn't been kitted yesterday. She knew where the border was! "Don't show your face here again if you want to keep it, murderer."

"That's what you think," she said coldly. It was all she could do not to claw him. "You'll find out soon enough that Astrid isn't the angel you all think she is."

"We all know Astrid's a piece of work, all right," Cedric supplied in an apologetic tone. "But there's no other cat in Kyto who can heal better."

"Ironic," Phaedra muttered, but it was true. Astrid was a master at healing. She could give the Moon Goddess lessons, if Qamra were still alive.

"On your way now," the other guard snapped. Turning away, he added, "Let's go, Cedric. They'll want us at the burial."

Phaedra bit back a snarl as the two warriors began loping back towards the camp. This was ridiculous; she had been exiled for the murder of the warrior she loved most. Was Suvan watching from StarClan? No doubt he knew she wasn't guilty, but she knew by now that StarClan had no chance against Astrid. Their business lay in the stars, not in Kyto.

She glanced around; this was the border between FireClan and MoonClan. FireClan didn't border directly on the Open Plains, where exiles, rogues, and loners lived. It was a place of hills and open plains, with little food except stringy hares who ran too fast for any but the fastest cats to catch. It didn't sound particularly inviting to Phaedra, but she had no choice; the news of Suvan's murder would spread quickly, and she wouldn't be welcome in any Clan.

_There's always the Five,_ she thought. Maybe a little joking around with herself could lighten the mood. _Oh yeah, they'd accept me in a heartbeat. Convicted of murder and not even a warrior yet. Next to no skills to offer, no great deeds to my name. Just the right sort to live among "the Chosen Ones."_

Nobody even knew where the Five lived, anyway. They weren't exactly advertising openings for new cats. Not every cat believed in them, and those that did weren't all convinced that they weren't evil. Every mother told her kits at some point that if they didn't behave, the Five would get them. Chosen Ones, anyone?

_I'd better get a move on to the Open Plains. Maybe I'll catch enough hares to survive - I'll be skinny, sure, and it's goodbye to that warrior ceremony I was looking forward to. I'll be an apprentice forever._

Sighing, she set off into MoonClan territory. She had never even been to a Gathering, let alone seen other Clans' territories; she could only hope to somehow find her way out of here before a patrol caught her. Just keep heading west. Her instincts knew where to go, if her paws didn't.

She stumbled along for what seemed like hours. Her paws were soon scratched up by thorns in the thick forest of MoonClan territory. FireClan's forest wasn't quite like this; the trees were spaced farther apart and it was lighter, with the sun shining down into the open spaces. She cursed as she stepped on another bramble. How could MoonClan live like this?

"I miss them," she said aloud. She could smell that no cat was nearby, and she was going to be alone for a while; she would need some company. "I miss Xingu and Dragon. I wonder if they'll miss me."

Maybe they wouldn't. After all, they would have plenty to worry about, being leader and deputy with only the experience of a full apprenticeship. She hoped Astrid wouldn't be able to manipulate them like she did other cats. It wouldn't do to have Astrid in charge of FireClan.

She caught sight of light ahead and pressed on eagerly, hoping she had come to the end of MoonClan territory and the beginning of the Open Plains. Instead she emerged from the trees, blinking in the sudden light, and beheld the biggest body of water she had ever seen.

It was a lake. It looked so improbably beautiful, with the sunlight shimmering in the gently rippling blue water, that for a moment she thought she had walked straight into StarClan territory. "Sweet StarClan," she breathed, "it's beautiful."

"It's the Eye of the Moon," said a voice from behind her.

It surprised her so much that she whipped around and lashed out with a paw, expecting a MoonClan warrior, or one of Astrid's warriors come to find her and kill her. Instead she saw a slim black tom who looked about her age. She didn't relax; he could still be a MoonClan cat. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"It's Faolan," he said calmly, still staring over her shoulder at the lake. "It is beautiful, isn't it?"

"I guess," Phaedra said cautiously. "Are you MoonClan?"

"Certainly not. I'm a loner."

"You're young, for a loner."

He sighed deeply, an exhalation of breath that sounded like that of a much older, world-weary cat. "Loner, outcast, if you will. Isn't it enough that I'm not trying to hurt you? You don't seem to be MoonClan either, or you wouldn't be asking if I were."

"No, I'm not," she said, relaxing just the tiniest bit. She sheathed her claws. "I am - was - FireClan."

"I take it you left."

"No, they exiled me. They say I killed my father." She blurted out the last sentence, not knowing if it would scare the tom away or incite him into attacking her.

To her surprise, he didn't move. He just sat there with his tail curled around his paws, gazing thoughtfully at her with eyes so dark blue that they looked almost black. Eventually he meowed, "Well, did you?"

"Of course not," she growled. "Why would I kill my own father?"

"Depends," he mewed, his gaze drifting to the lake again. "In the Clan I come from, it's almost a common thing to kill your relatives. Grudges, madness, or just plain bloodlust."

"What Clan do you come from?" She was almost afraid to ask the question.

His eyes fixed on her again. It was disconcerting; his gaze was intense enough to seem like her fur should be smoking, but at the same time it was calm and casual. "MurderClan."

* * *

**Cliffie! Well, kinda. Anyway, I finally introduced Faolan, who is one of my favorite characters. Review, people! Remember, free one-shot!!**


	9. Chapter Six: Capture

**sigh...thank you Leopardshadow, Tainted Lullaby, The Moon Wolf, Gladewing, RiverLee, and Twilidramon for reviewing on this and my other fanfics. But, you other people who are reading but not reviewing, you guys are just cruel. I need reviews. Please. I hate begging, but please.**

**Chapter Six: Capture**

"MurderClan?" Phaedra couldn't believe her ears. This calm young cat was claiming to be from the Clan of traitors and murderers? "You're serious?"

Faolan breathed out slowly and nodded. "Yeah. That's how I got this." He turned his head to reveal an X-shaped scar on the right side of his neck. "MurderClan gives all their cats the Mark. It's supposed to ward off evil...not that you can get much more evil than MurderClan."

Phaedra forced herself to sit still and not run off screaming. Every kit in FireClan was raised with stories of MurderClan, and their scent was relentlessly drilled into every new apprentice's head. They were, simply put, the bloodiest Clan in existence. They paid so little attention to the warrior code that it was hardly a Clan at all - just a group of cats with a leader, deputy, and medicine cat. The elders were poorly looked after and queens had to depend on their mates to feed them.

"Yes, the stories are mostly true," Faolan said, noticing her expression. "But don't worry, I'm not like that. In fact, I hate every single one of them. I only stayed because of my sister."

"Then why did you leave?" She knew the question was too personal, but she couldn't stop herself from asking.

He didn't seem offended, however. He just said simply, "She died." Phaedra had a feeling he wasn't telling the whole truth, but decided not to press him. The silence stretched for a long time.

"Well, that's all very fine," he said suddenly, making her jump. "But I'm guessing you didn't come to MoonClan territory to admire the lake. Heading for the Open Plains?"

"Yeah," she said quietly. "I've got nowhere else to go."

"I'm heading there as well. It might be in your best interest for us to travel together. Two heads are better than one...and two sets of claws to boot. The Open Plains aren't so safe these days."

She rose to her paws and glanced sideways at him. Should she accept his offer? She barely knew him, after all...and he was MurderClan. She might not be able to trust him; his sad story could just be a lie. But he was right; they would be safer traveling together. "I..."

That's when a half dozen cats jumped out of the forest. She only had time to see one of them deal a heavy blow to the back of Faolan's head and the black tom went down in a heap. Then she felt a crashing blow of her own and sank into blackness, feeling her legs collapse like putty.

xXx...xXx

"Hey - wake up! C'mon, get up!"

Phaedra forced her eyes open and blearily took in the scene around her. It was dark and she was lying on something cold and slightly damp...earth. There was only the faintest glimmer of light somewhere ahead, a thin shaft of pale sunlight illumating a cat leaning over her. Faolan.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting up. The sudden movement made her head swim and stars pop before her eyes. "Ugh...Faolan?"

"I don't know your name," he said urgently. "Tell me, quick."

"Phaedra," she said, slightly puzzled. "Where are we?"

"MoonClan caught us. They've got us in a badger set. There's two guards overhead, and a stone over the entrance - there's a gap, but not big enough for us to get through. Here's what's got to happen - one of those guards has got to push the stone off the entrance so we can get out. Then we tackle them. There's only two - I think we can take them."

Phaedra could see a major flaw in this plan. "But how're you going to get one to push the stone off?"

"Trust me. You've got to trust me. I'll make it happen. All right?"

Phaedra had no other choice but to trust this skinny black tom, even if he was lying to her. "All right."

He nodded. "Good. Now hold out your paws." She obeyed, sliding her paws into the thin shaft of light.

"What're you - "

"Just trust me. Wait a moment." Then he began to mutter her name over and over again. "Phaedra, Phaedra, Phaedra..."

"Faolan. What. Are. You. Doing."

He ignored her. "Okay. Just stay quiet. I'm going to talk to the guards."

"What good will that do?"

"Just be quiet!" She heard a rustle as he moved along the tunnel until he was only a pace away from the boulder blocking most of the entrance. "Hey! What does a cat have to do to get some food around here?"

"Shut up," a tom said roughly from overhead, confirming that Faolan hadn't lied about the guards. "You'll get food sooner or later. For now just sit on your little trespassing behind and wait."

"Since when does a cat get imprisoned just for passing through? We're on our way to the Open Plains. We haven't hunted your prey or even drunk from your lake."

"The Open Plains, eh?" It was a different voice this time. So there were two guards. "So you're not just trespassers; you're exiles as well. Traitors and murderers, likely as not."

"Whatever," Faolan said breezily. Phaedra was amazed at how casual he could sound, even in a stressful situation like this. "Am I allowed to know my captor's name, at least?"

"Why? So you can beg me for food when you're lying down there, starving like the rat you are?" The guard sounded amused. "It's Rorius, and don't you forget it."

"Oh, I won't," Faolan muttered. "Rorius, Rorius, Rorius."

Phaedra could only shake her head at her bad luck. _He's insane. I'm stuck in a hole with a mad cat. Completely crazy. I'm going to die. I didn't even make it to the Open Plains._ She was disturbed from her mental processes by a commotion overhead. "Hey Rorius! What are you doing?"

"I don't know," Rorius muttered dazedly. "What'm I - what in StarClan?" Phaedra heard a grinding and a pebble fell on her head.

"Stop it, Rorius! You're going to let the prisoners out!"

Overhead, the chink of light was growing larger and larger. Then it stopped, as the guards began what she could tell was a tussle.

"Come on!" Faolan yelled in her ear. "This is it!" He made a break for the gap and squeezed through; Phaedra gathered her senses and followed him, dashing past the two guards, who were writhing on the ground in a bundle of claws and fur.

"Rorius! The prisoners! C'mon, you crazy mouse-brain, we've got to catch them or Damian will have our tails!"

Phaedra ran as fast as she could, but a root leaped out of nowhere and her paw caught on it, sending her into a spectacular double flip before landing soundly on her back. Faolan, a few paces ahead, hesitated, and then came back. "Hurry, Phaedra, they'll catch us!"

The guards had caught up. One of them caught Faolan's tail between his teeth, and the other jumped on Phaedra and began dragging her back toward the badger set. "No!" She slashed out blindly with her claws and suddenly she was free. Faolan shrugged off the limp body of the tom he'd been fighting with and ran with her along the edge of the lake.

Phaedra glanced backwards and was sickened to see that both the guards were dead. She had never killed a cat before. "Now I'm really a murderer," she muttered. Faolan heard her and shot a fleeting look in her direction.

"No, you're not. They attacked us, not the other way around."

Hearing his voice seemed to snap her back to her senses. She came to a dead stop, freezing in her tracks and sitting down obstinately. Faolan kept running for a few paces, then looked back, bit his lip, and stopped too. "Those aren't the only cats in MoonClan. They'll be after us, if we don't hurry!"

"What did you do?" she demanded angrily. "What - what are you?"

Faolan sighed and glanced around quickly before answering. "I'm what you would call a...a ShadowCat."


	10. Chapter Seven: ShadowCat

**Meh. I'm still not getting the reviews I wanted. Only one person reviewed, but that reviewer (Nameless Nightmare) told me not to be discouraged by the lack of reviews. So I won't. MUAHAHAHA!! I will continue writing, although that contest (free one-shot, anyone??) is still open.**

**Man, I really love that name. Nameless Nightmare!! U ROCK!! I'm usually opposed to chatspeak, but in this situation it seemed to call for it. I am exhausted. It's 11:40 PM where I am, but I'm gonna finish this chapter.**

**Chapter Seven: ShadowCat**

"A ShadowCat?" Phaedra repeated skeptically. "What's a ShadowCat?"

"I had really hoped to save this for after we escaped MoonClan territory," Faolan said tiredly. "Please? I promise I'll tell you the whole story once we're out of here."

Phaedra cast him a sideways look. "I have a feeling you're going to mysteriously disappear when we reach the Open Plains."

"If I were any other cat, I probably would," he said quietly. "I keep my word. You, however, have no reason to trust me...so I'll swear it in blood." Before Phaedra could stop him, he unsheathed a claw and swiped an inch-long cut in his foreleg. Blood dripped into the dew-dappled grass.

"What the - why'd you do that?"

Faolan glanced up at her, mild surprise written across his chiseled features. "I forget that not every cat comes from MurderClan. There, you can't trust any cat's word, but blood makes it irreversible."

Phaedra let out a slow sigh. "Okay. Let's say I trust you. Let's get out of here. Then, you tell me what a ShadowCat is."

They ran for about an hour around the lake and off into the woods again. It was slow going for Phaedra - she kept stepping on thorns - but Faolan weaved around the trees like a natural. More than once she lost sight of him, only to catch up with him waiting in a clearing.

"It's like you grew up in thick woods," she panted at one point. She had just picked up another thorn and Faolan was waiting impatiently in a clearing while she tried to tug it out. Talking was the only thing that distracted her from the sting.

He twitched an ear at her. "Maybe I did."

They kept running. They ran for so long that Phaedra's pads were a patchwork of cuts and she thought she might drop of exhaustion. Drops of blood beaded the undergrowth behind them, mostly from Phaedra's paws. She was uncomfortably aware that if MoonClan decided to follow them, they would find the task easy, but Faolan didn't comment.

Finally the trees thinned and she found herself blinking in sunlight again. Ahead of them was a wide expanse of tall grass; she could hear the trickle of a brook somewhere among the grass. She hadn't drunk anything the whole day. Faolan immediately set off through the grass and she followed wearily. Was this tom ever tired?

"Faolan," she called wearily. She could just make out his slender black shape parting the stalks in front of her. "When can we rest? I need food and water before I can hear this story of yours."

"Just a little farther," Faolan replied. "I can hear water."

_So can I,_ Phaedra thought tiredly. _I've been hearing it for the past hour. It's like catnip the way it draws my attention._

"There," Faolan said with satisfaction, holding the grass aside with his paw to reveal a narrow brook coursing between moss-covered banks. Phaedra leaped past him and filled her jaws with water, again and again, until finally her thirst was satiated.

Faolan took only a quick lap of water before turning away from the brook. "Remember where this is. We might have to come back before nightfall."

"I need food," Phaedra muttered. "And then rest."

"Well, I can't catch enough for both of us. So you're going to have to lend a paw."

Muttering to herself under her breath, Phaedra dragged her paws over the ground, knowing that the noise would scare off prey. There was a slow intake of breath from up ahead, but Faolan didn't comment. Instead he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, "If only mice and hares had names."

That decided it. Once again she sat down and obstinately refused to move. "Okay. Tell me right now. I can wait on food. What in StarClan's name are you talking about?"

Faolan turned. "Do you seriously mean you haven't heard of ShadowCats?"

"No, I haven't. So tell me! What's with the names and stuff? How did you make that guard push the stone off? What did you do to my paws?"

"You mean you haven't even looked at them?"

Phaedra glowered at him for a moment before staring down at her paws. There was something different about them...they felt heavier than normal. "What are you talking about?"

"The claws," Faolan said impatiently. "I turned them to stone."

She tested one across a log. It bit easily into the wood, scoring a six-inch scar in the bark. Wonderingly, she held a forepaw up to the light and examined the claws. They did feel hard, like stone. "How - how did you do that?"

"You told me your name. With any other ShadowCat that would have been a really stupid thing to do, but you can trust me."

"How do I know that?"

"I swore in blood, remember?"

Phaedra glared at him. From what she remembered, he had sworn that he wouldn't leave her in the Open Plains, not that he wasn't a danger to her. She decided not to press it; she wanted to know more about this ShadowCat thing. "So you can turn things to stone...what else can a ShadowCat do?"

"The stone thing, not all ShadowCats can do it. Stone is just my area of expertise. My element, to put it another way. Another ShadowCat might be able to set your fur on fire, or make your blood flow backwards, if they knew your name. That's why you should keep your name to yourself. Travel under a different one."

"Too late with you," Phaedra muttered. "I already told you mine."

"And I told you mine," Faolan pointed out. "That means we trust each other."

"But I'm not a ShadowCat!"

"True. But still, you could have another type of power, not Shadow. You could be a FireCat, or an IceCat. The possibilities are practically endless. Who knows, there could even be a GrassCat somewhere out there."

Phaedra's jaw dropped. "What? There are that many...that many freaks? Why haven't I heard about this?"

Faolan shrugged. "Depends. Maybe your parents didn't believe in it and didn't see the point in telling you. Actually, there's a lot of cats who either don't believe or just don't know we exist. But we do. Everywhere."

Phaedra's stomach growled loudly. "I'm hungry."

"So'm I." Faolan looked relieved. "Let's hunt."

They ended up catching enough to fill their bellies for the rest of the night. Phaedra stalked a mouse through the tall grass, and Faolan managed to catch a hare. They shared the food, since it wouldn't be fair for Phaedra to have just a mouse and Faolan a whole hare. Once they had finished, Phaedra was tired enough to sleep forever. She barely managed to curl up before sinking into a deep sleep.

Thankfully, she had no dreams; she couldn't imagine what they might have involved, after the events of the day. She woke up yawning with her claws returned to normal and Faolan still sleeping on the other side of the grassy hollow. "Hey, Faolan. Wake up," she meowed, drawing closer.

She was unprepared for his reaction. With the speed of an adder striking, Faolan jerked awake and lashed out with a paw. She drew back fast enough to avoid his claws, which actually brushed her neckfur before he realized who it was and relaxed. "Sorry. Old habits. Don't ever wake me suddenly."

_No surprise there,_ Phaedra thought as the black tom sat up and began grooming himself. _He did grow up in MurderClan, after all._

"So, what's up today?" she said aloud when he had finished.

He cocked an ear at her, his dark blue eyes glimmering with what might have been amusement. "What's up? Well, today we begin the pursuit of life's most important goal. Today, we begin survival."


	11. Chapter Eight: Survival

**Thankies, Nameless Nightmare. Jeez, peoples, review!! Anyway...here's chap 8...enjoy.**

**Chapter Eight: Survival**

Life on the Open Plains was difficult, but not impossible. Faolan kept his word and blood vow; though they separated during the day to catch more prey, they always met in the same place at dusk. Phaedra was beginning to like the black tom. He was perfectly honest and never used her name to his advantage.

At the end of seven days, she was at least a couple of pounds lighter than when she had entered the Open Plains. Hares were hard to catch, and mice had a lot of places to hide in the tall grass. The first few days, Faolan had offered to turn her claws to stone every morning (his effects apparently wore off at midnight) but she turned his offer down. It was harder to run with heavy stone claws, even if they helped with the actual catching of prey.

On the eighth morning, it was a particularly warm day. She found two mice sleeping in the grass within an hour, and returned to the hollow where they slept quite a bit earlier than usual. Faolan entered the hollow a few minutes after her, dragging a hare. He was a faster runner than her, and coped well with the stone claws. He had probably been using them all his life.

"Warm day today," he commented, tucking into the hare with a few swift bites.

"That's for sure," she responded. The mice were plump from feeding on the greenleaf seeds, and tasted delicious. "I'll be sorry when greenleaf is over."

"Yeah, me..." Faolan trailed off, raising his nose and tasting the air. His eyes widened in alarm and he backed up towards Phaedra.

"What's wrong?" she asked, unsettled.

"Run," he said hoarsely. "Run."

He took off through the long grass. She cast a regretful glance at the uneaten prey and followed him. It was harder than usual to catch up; Faolan was running as fast as he could, which was very fast. Phaedra had to push herself harder than ever before to keep pace with him. "Who's chasing us?" she panted. "Faolan, what's going on?"

"Did I fail to mention I've got enemies?" His dark blue eyes were filled with fear; an expression she'd never seen before on his face. "Just run."

His fear was contagious; she knew she had to resist, or she would simply break up and start panicking. It didn't help that Faolan looked on the verge of panic himself. "Should we split up?" she asked. It was getting hard to talk; her throat was constricting with fear.

"No," he managed to say. "Got to stick together."

She fervently wished she knew what they were running from; it was easier to fight off fear when you knew what you were afraid of. However, it didn't seem the time to ask. Both her and Faolan's breaths were coming short and fast, not good when you were on the verge of panicking. They tore through the long grass and over hills, until Phaedra was beginning to wonder if they had lost their pursuers. She didn't know if she could trust her voice, but she had to try. "F - Faolan?"

The black tom didn't answer; she didn't know if he had heard her. His eyes were wild with fear and he looked as if he wasn't aware of anything except the ground under his paws. "Faolan? C - can we stop?"

It took a few minutes for the words to register. Finally the black tom shook his head as if clearing the fear from his eyes, and slowed to a stop. He was still breathing fast and it took a while for both of them to calm down.

"Sorry," he finally said, his voice gradually returning to its old casual tone. "Old habits. I've seen what the BloodCats can do - when I smell them it all comes back."

"BloodCats? Are they like you...like ShadowCats?"

Faolan shook his head. "Remember when I told you there were cats who could make your blood run backwards? That's them. The BloodCats. Believe me, I'm a tame rabbit compared to them. Most of them are barely alive; they're eaten by revenge and hatred, and they'll do anything to know your name. When they do...that's why I told you to go under a different one."

Phaedra thought this over. By now, going under a different name sounded pretty good to her. "Okay. How about...Zaia?" Her Aunt Zaia had died at the beginning of her apprenticeship, of greencough.

"That'll do. Mine is Xixan. I've used it before, when the BloodCats were chasing me."

"Why are they chasing you?"

Faolan cast her one of those sideways glances she'd gotten used to over the past seven days. "I...I took something from one of them. Their leader. I would have given it back, but it was stolen from me too. They think I've still got it."

"Why don't you tell them someone stole it?"

He laughed briefly. "They would kill me before I had the chance. They can't use their abilities if they don't know my name, but they can sure as hell kill me the normal way."

"What was the thing you took?"

Faolan looked pained. "Look...you've got to trust me on this. I can't tell you. If I did, that would only put you in danger too. Believe me, you don't want to know what else the BloodCats can do."

No, she probably didn't. She hadn't been expecting an answer, anyway. "So I'm traveling with a marked cat."

"You can leave now, if you feel safer that way. I wouldn't blame you. The BloodCats aren't something to be fooled around with."

"I'm not going to leave! I'm involved now. If I left, I would never forgive myself. We're friends." She said the last sentence softly, but he heard it anyway and looked intrigued.

"You're a brave cat. I've met leaders who were more cowardly than you."

"On one condition," she said shortly. Faolan's ears pricked. "From now on, tell me everything. Every dangerous cat chasing you, everything you know. If I find out you've lied about anything, I'll leave in a heartbeat. Understand?"

"It's good to travel with another cat again," he said quietly. "Yes, I'll tell you everything. I haven't lied to you since we've met. And Phaedra..."

"What?"

"Thank you."


	12. Chapter Nine: Stories

**In this chapter, we learn a bit of Faolan's history. I hate Nyxclaw, GRRR but I love Midnight. You'll see why in the next chapter.**

**Chapter Nine: Stories**

After the BloodCat incident, both of them took turns sitting up each night to keep guard. Faolan taught Phaedra how to recognize the BloodCat scent. "Coppery, like blood," he told her. "And a bit like rotting wood."

This system made each of them very sleepy during the day and on watch. Phaedra in particular had trouble catching prey and feared she would fall asleep on guard. She knew Faolan was worried too, but he was polite enough not to mention it.

"This would work in a Clan," she said a few days after they had run from the BloodCats. "There would be enough cats so that every cat could get enough sleep. But with just the two of us...it's going to end badly. I can guarantee that."

Faolan nodded slowly, taking a bite out of the only hare they had managed to catch in two days. "You're right, but we haven't got much of a choice. The BloodCats know my scent, and yours too by now. Unless we can persuade one of the Clans to accept us..."

Phaedra shook her head. "No way. I'm a convicted murderer, remember? The Gathering was last night. Astrid will have told every Clan that I'm on the loose."

"Yeah. I wouldn't join a Clan, anyway. I would just be pushing my problems onto yet another innocent group of cats. Who knows, the BloodCats might decide to slaughter all of them."

That reminded Phaedra of something she had been meaning to ask Faolan for a while. "These BloodCats...do they live in Clans?"

"No. No Clan would accept them, not even MurderClan. They roam the Open Plains, sometimes trespassing on Clan territory. They know how to move silently and leave no trail, and they don't smell like cats, so no Clan cat would even know there were intruders."

Phaedra sighed, taking a bite out of the hare and pushing the meager remains back towards Faolan. He shook his head and slid it towards her. She reluctantly settled down to eat the rest. "How have you survived this long?" she asked, cracking a bone to get at the marrow. "With these BloodCats chasing you...shouldn't you be dead by now?"

Faolan sighed. "They haven't been chasing me for my whole life. I had just become an apprentice when I found out I was a ShadowCat, and I made a huge mistake. I told the leader of the Clan, Nyxclaw. Of course, he thought I was lying at first, until I showed him what I could do. Then he decided I was a freak and maybe even a danger to his leadership." Faolan's dark blue eyes gleamed with bitterness. "Can you imagine? Barely older than a kit, innocent and proud of my new talents. I didn't even know how much Nyxclaw hated me until he tried to kill me."

Phaedra saw the upset in his eyes and felt only pity. "You don't have to..."

"I said I would tell you everything, Phaedra," Faolan said quietly. "And I will. Nyxclaw was afraid to kill me himself, so he sent an assassin after me. Midnight. The best assassin in all the Clans...but even Nyxclaw didn't know that the real reason was because she was a BloodCat. Completely incapable of feeling any emotion, incapable of feeling pain. He told her my name, and he told her where I slept. I woke to see her sitting next to me, about to slash my throat."

"How did you get out of it?" Phaedra's voice was barely a whisper.

"She spared me," Faolan said simply. "StarClan knows why, but she sheathed her claws and backed away. To this day, all I can do is wonder why. She had me - not even my ShadowCat powers could have gotten me out of there alive. Midnight, the cold, unfeeling assassin, spared my life. And as she left, she whispered her real name in my ear."

"Her real name wasn't Midnight?" Phaedra was completely caught up in Faolan's story - he could be lying to her, but she didn't care. She trusted him. "What was it?"

"I can't tell you. I've never told any cat. I'm sorry, Phaedra, but that's the one thing I have to keep from you." He really did look sorry.

"That's okay," she said softly.

"That night, I went to Nyxclaw and told him everything that had happened. I still didn't know it was him who had ordered her after me. Then Nyxclaw tried to take my life himself. I was too surprised to fight back - I ran. I ran away from MurderClan, and I lived as a rogue on the edge of their territory for a long time, guiding myself through apprenticeship. Nyxclaw might have recognized my scent on patrol, but he must have thought that I wasn't a threat anymore. After a few moons, I made myself a warrior and left MurderClan territory forever."

"You made yourself a warrior? You can do that?" Phaedra asked excitedly. One of the things she regretted most about being exiled was that she was still an apprentice. "But - don't you need a leader to do it?"

Faolan chuckled. "About that...well, I'm not sure. I'm not part of a Clan anymore, and it's easier for a warrior to live as a loner than an apprentice."

"Could I become a warrior? What do I have to do?"

"Nothing, really. I just started introducing myself as a warrior to any rogues or loners I met. Faolan, the warrior. Phaedra, the warrior. Simple."

"Excellent. Phaedra, the warrior." Phaedra glanced at Faolan. "So, where did the stealing from the BloodCat leader come in?"

Faolan shifted uneasily. "Thing is...I didn't really steal it. I found it and decided to keep it. The BloodCats discovered that I had it and came after me. It took a while for me to realize that that was why they were after me. I was about to give it back, but another cat stole it before I could."

"What was the thing?"

"An amulet. I knew it was made out of bone, but I didn't know from what animal...at first. It was on some kind of sinew band that you could put around your neck. I never figured out what it did, but I thought it was a cool little trinket that would do better around my neck than sitting in the dirt in MurderClan territory. Then the BloodCats came after me, and I realized what kind of bone it was. Cat."

"Who stole it?"

"I don't know. I just woke up and it wasn't around my neck. I tried to tell the BloodCats what had happened, but I barely escaped with my life. They don't listen to reason - they just wanted the amulet back."

Phaedra couldn't help being skeptical. "And they're still chasing you just because of some amulet you don't have anymore?"

Faolan met her gaze steadily. "Yes. Phaedra, would I lie to you?"

_That depends,_ she thought silently. _You would, if you didn't trust me._


	13. Chapter Ten: Midnight

**Chapter Ten: Midnight**

Phaedra was on guard that night. After hearing Faolan's story, she glanced around nervously into the darkness, expecting BloodCats to appear at any moment. Were they still chasing them? Sometimes she thought she smelled them - coppery blood stench mixed with rotting wood - but it disappeared within moments. Once she even caught sight of a pair of eyes glinting through the tall grass, but it was probably her eyes playing tricks on her.

As always, fatigue gripped her within the first hour. She would have liked nothing more than to simply lie down and sleep, but that would mean leaving both of them unguarded and vulnerable. Faolan was sleeping soundly a few paces away, and she envied him deeply, but he deserved it. He was on guard every other night, just like her.

The almost-full moon was partially hidden behind clouds, but its light illuminated the little hollow anyway, leaving a ring of darkness around the spot where Phaedra stood guard. It was unnerving; she felt as if she were in a spotlight, visible to all the world. She could barely make out Faolan's sleeping form.

"Midnight," she whispered to herself. "It's almost midnight."

Fitting, it was, that Faolan's would-be murderer was named after the darkest time of night. Like most cats, Phaedra could see well in the dark, but the old superstitions and kit's-tales still surfaced in her mind when dusk fell. Did giant, blood-sucking bats really go hunting when the sun went down? Did poisonous snakes slither through the grass, unheard and unseen by any cat? And after being chased by BloodCats, new fears gripped her. Would the BloodCats creep closer under cover of night and seize her before she had a chance to scream?

"Midnight, midnight..." Talking quietly to herself made the fear go away for a little while. She had little to say, though; Faolan's story still occupied most of her mind. "Midnight, where did you go? Do you still live in MurderClan? Does anyone besides Faolan know who you really are?...Midnight..."

_Funny,_ she thought to herself. _I become quite poetic after dark. Who knew I could phrase things so eloquently? That's more of Faolan's thing, not mine._

"Midnight..."

She froze. That wasn't her. "Who's there?" she said sharply, trying to hide the quiver in her voice. "Who's there?"

No one answered. Had she imagined it? No way. She had heard someone's voice loud and clear. She regretted not letting Faolan turn her claws to stone. Were the BloodCats here? She sniffed the air. Blood, yes, coppery...and the stench of rotting wood...

_No, no, no, oh, no. Please, no._ "Faolan? Faolan?" she whispered urgently. The black tom shifted in his sleep and murmured something, but didn't wake up.

"You're not in danger."

She spun around. "Show yourself!" she demanded, sounding much braver than she felt. "I - I'm a ShadowCat! I can fight you!"

A chuckle sounded out of the darkness. It sounded amused. "You don't have to lie to me. I can smell your fear. Relax, I'm not here to harm you." Then, suddenly, a she-cat appeared, sitting right next to Phaedra, who leaped back in alarm.

"Who are you?"

She repressed a shiver of fear when she saw the she-cat's eyes. Blazing white, with no pupils. "You called, and I came. Rare, that that happens. Are my services as an assassin needed?"

"Midnight?" She was glad that her voice sounded more intrigued than terrified.

"Yes. I know you're not a ShadowCat. That tom you're traveling with is, and obviously he's told you. Quite unwise, if you ask me."

"He knows you." Phaedra struggled desperately to keep the fear out of her voice. "You tried to kill him once. And he knows your real name. He could kill you."

"Kill me? Unlikely." The she-cat shifted, and Phaedra caught a full glimpse of her pelt. She was quite skinny, with numerous scars crisscrossing her fur, which was a mottled black and gray. "I'm Midnight, the assassin, Death's Apprentice."

"Death's Apprentice?"

"Yes. Death does prefer to work with BloodCats. We're quite good at killing, and like Death, we show no mercy."

Phaedra's throat was dry with fear. "You did, though. You spared Faolan."

"Only because Death told me to," Midnight said calmly. "I pretend to work for Nyxclaw, but my real loyalty is to Death. She tells me who to kill, not Nyxclaw."

"She?"

"Yes. The Black Cat of Death." Midnight leaned closer. "She told me that Faolan has a destiny that I'm not to interfere with. And so do you, Phaedra..."

"A...a...destiny." Phaedra wasn't sure whether to play along or break up laughing. "You do know that's a kit's-tale, right? There's no such thing as destiny. StarClan can't directly interfere in the business of Kyto - they just guide us and advise us."

Midnight's white eyes gleamed. "Ah, but who said I follow StarClan?"

"That's..." Phaedra trailed off as she saw that the she-cat was no longer there. "Right. I'm going crazy. That's it. This was all a hallucination. What's next? Flying cats? I'm..."

High in the black midnight sky, the dark shape of a cat flitted across the glowing three-quarters moon.

xXx...xXx

Phaedra told Faolan everything that had happened the next morning. The black tom looked disappointed. "Why didn't you wake me up? I could have helped you out."

"I had it sorted," Phaedra convinced him. She was pleased that he didn't seem to think for a moment that she was lying. He really did trust her. They really were friends. "She told me right off she wasn't going to hurt me."

"So why did she come? That doesn't make sense. Midnight doesn't just come when a cat calls."

Phaedra shivered, even though it was another warm green-leaf day. "She said I called her. She told me that we both have destinies that she wasn't going to interfere with."

"What were you doing before she came?"

"I was on guard, of course," Phaedra said, trying to look convincing. She wasn't very good at lying; Faolan saw through her at once.

"You were talking to yourself, weren't you?"

Phaedra tried unsuccessfully to hide her rising color. "So what if I was? I didn't call her. I just said 'Midnight' a few times. 'Cause it was almost midnight."

Faolan looked amused. "Really."

Phaedra swiped him playfully with her claws sheathed. "Quit teasing me!"

"That's what friends are for!" Faolan retorted, dodging out of the way.

Phaedra's smile widened. "Yeah. Friends."


	14. Chapter Eleven: Alone

**Chapter Eleven: Alone**

The day passed uneventfully, with Phaedra catching a mouse and Faolan a hare, as usual. After eating, Phaedra settled down for some much-wanted sleep and Faolan sat up on guard.

Phaedra barely got an hour's rest before Faolan shook her awake. "BloodCats," was all he said, his dark blue eyes wide. That single word was enough to get her alert and running within two seconds.

They ran for even longer this time; the BloodCat stench seemed to follow them wherever they went. Phaedra was soon forced to stop out of pure exhaustion, while Faolan kept running. "Faolan," she shouted weakly, but the black tom soon disappeared from sight in the long grass.

_Great. That's just great,_ she thought, since she was too busy catching her breath to say it aloud. _How am I going to find him again? He'll keep running to the ends of the earth, if he doesn't faint of exhaustion first._

She spent a few minutes panting before starting to run again. Breath was painful and her paws were soon sore, but she wasn't going to risk being left behind for the BloodCats. Where was Faolan?

His fear-scent was easy to follow; it was brushed along the tall grass and laid thick on the ground. She trotted for as long as she could, but Faolan had always been faster than her. She had no chance of catching up unless he stopped of his own accord. Would he? The last time they had run from the BloodCats, she had had to stop him.

"Stupid BloodCats," she panted. "He hasn't even got it anymore. Why are they chasing us?"

_Maybe he's lying to you,_ a voice said, unbidden, in her mind. _Maybe he still has it, but he was afraid you would leave._

_Faolan's not like that,_ she thought furiously. _He wouldn't lie to me._

_Says who?_ said that annoying, snide voice. _Him?_

Mr. Annoying Voice had a point. She had nothing to go on but Faolan's word. But where could he have hidden it? It could hardly be around his neck; she would have spotted it straight off. No, he didn't have it anymore. That was all. It was the stupid BloodCats' fault for thinking he did, not his.

She was painfully aware of how tired she was. She could hardly keep her eyes open. Have...to...sleep.

She crashed in the first hollow she encountered. No longer caring if the BloodCats were following, she closed her eyes gratefully and was asleep before she hit the ground.

Bright sunlight and a harsh growl awoke her. She opened her eyes to see a ginger tom crouched on the other side of the hollow, glaring at her and snarling. Was it a BloodCat? No, just a rogue. "This is my place," the alleged rogue growled. "Get out."

He looked capable of defending his place, so she left. "Faolan?" she called desperately, threading through the tall grass. "Where are you, Faolan?"

He was simply nowhere to be found. His scent had worn away during the night, so she had nothing to follow. "Faolan?" she yowled again.

She searched all day, but didn't find a single hair on his pelt. Every time she heard pawsteps through the long grass, she turned, expecting to see his black face and dark blue eyes, but it was always another loner or a rogue. When she tried to hunt, she was chased away by another rogue defending her territory. It had been easier before now - Faolan had always managed to scent out a safe sleeping place, unclaimed by any cat. His nose was much better than hers.

Now that she came to think of it, she had basically depended on him for survival. He was faster than her, better able to catch hares, and his sense of smell was incredible. That plus his ShadowCat powers...and what had she had to offer? Nothing, except an extra set of claws and someone to talk to. She was miserably incapable of surviving on her own, but he could probably do reasonably well. What would she do now?

"Faolan," she whispered into the wide, wide plains. "What will I do without you?"

Now she came to think of it, she had become pretty good friends with the black tom. He got on her nerves sometimes, with his assumptions and occasional patronizing comments, but he was loyal and honest. He never fell asleep on guard and almost invariably caught more prey than her. They were friends, but...had it been developing into something more?

_No way. I barely know him. We just met two weeks ago, I'm a convicted murderer, and he's an outcast with a ton of enemies. Put the two of us together, and we've got every cat in Kyto against us._

But he had been kind to her. He had shared his kills with her, and patiently watched over her every night. From the first day they met, he had always believed that she was innocent of the crime she had been exiled for. He had been a friend, someone she could confide in. Someone she could trust.

_Well, that's over now. I'm never going to find him. He could be anywhere in the Open Plains by now. Looks like I'm on my own._

How she hated being alone. Even back in FireClan, she had never been able to sleep without one of her brothers nearby. One night, when Dragon and Xingu had gone to a Gathering without her, she had stayed up almost all night waiting for them to get back, just so she could get to sleep with her brothers on either side. She had been on good terms with most of the other apprentices, but had never had any good friends besides her brothers. Was Faolan the first real friend she had ever had? Yes, he was.

_Get over it. He's gone._

She couldn't. At every step his black pelt and blue eyes haunted her mind. Faolan, the loner. Faolan, the ShadowCat. Faolan, the outcast. Faolan, her friend.

_I never thanked him for helping me escape the MoonClan cats. He barely knew me, but he helped me. He thanked me for sticking with him, but I never thanked him._

She was alone.

_I'm alone._


	15. Chapter Twelve: Coincidence

**Sorry guys...Phaedra will not find Faolan in this chapter. Maybe she never will. I'll leave you hanging! Instead, this is the chapter where she meets up with the...oops, I was about to give it away. Just read. And review!! I've got 8 reviews, and thank you so much for them, but people, it's really annoying when you read but don't review. Meh.**

**Chapter Twelve: Coincidence**

She wandered the Open Plains for five more days, barely able to catch enough to survive. At the end of the fifth day, her pelt was hanging off her bones and every rib was clearly visible. Her fur was matted and her pads were a mass of sores. _Starvation isn't pretty._

With every ounce of unnecessary weight shed, she should have been able to run faster. Instead, she found herself fatigued and weak, with barely any energy. When she woke in the morning, she hardly felt refreshed at all. The constant fear of BloodCats, especially at night, didn't help.

At the moment she was stalking a particularly dumb rabbit. It glanced toward her once or twice, but didn't register her as a threat until she pounced with every ounce of energy her frail body possessed. It was an easy kill, the first she'd made in several days.

As she was hungrily tearing it to pieces and gulping them down, she heard pawsteps behind her. The tall grass rustled. She froze, a bloody strip of meat hanging out the side of her mouth. The prey scent masked everything else. Was it Faolan? Or a BloodCat?

She spun around and relaxed, but only a little bit. The stranger was neither Faolan or a BloodCat. Nor was it a rogue defending its territory. Instead, a cream-colored tabby she-cat was standing just paces away, head tipped to one side, large amber eyes gazing curiously at her. She didn't look any older than Phaedra.

"Do I know you?" Phaedra asked, swallowing the piece of rabbit. Her voice was hoarse after days of disuse. With Faolan gone, the only time she talked aloud was when she was trying to convince a rogue that she wasn't stealing prey.

"No, I don't think so," the tabby she-cat said slowly. She smelled pungently of herbs and berries. Was she a medicine cat? What was a medicine cat doing out here, in the Open Plains?

"Uh...am I on your territory?"

"No, you're not." The creamy she-cat still offered no explanation as to why she was still standing there, staring at Phaedra as if she was a cat from StarClan.

"Oh...okay." Phaedra felt slightly foolish. "I'll just be going now, then." She picked up the remains of her rabbit and turned to leave.

"Wait!" The strange cat ran after her. "You look tired. Have you claimed territory yet?"

Phaedra couldn't figure out why the cat was so concerned about her. "No, why?"

"It can be hard for new cats to find a safe place to sleep around here, especially someone...so young." Phaedra found that amber gaze slightly unnerving. "Are you a warrior?"

"Of course. My name's Ph...Zaia."

"Zaia," the creamy she-cat repeated, looking as if she knew Phaedra was lying. "I...I have a place where you can stay safely. If you like. I store herbs there." So she really was a medicine cat.

"Um...thanks?" Phaedra decided to come out in the open with her doubts. "Why are you being so nice to me? The only cats I've met here just want me to stay off their territory." _Besides Faolan._

The she-cat looked surprised. "Really? That's too bad. I think you'll find some of us are more interested in helping others. Or maybe that's just a medicine cat thing. My name's Chanlyeya, by the way."

"Chan...what?" _She's telling me her name. That's unwise...I could be a ShadowCat. Unless she's lying, like me._

Chanlyeya sighed. "Just call me Chan. Here, I'll lead you to the place I was talking about. I defend my herbs well, so no cat should bother you. I can tell you need some rest."

_Is it that noticeable?_ Yes, it probably was. "Thanks. It means a lot." She allowed Chan to lead her through the tall grass to a hollow, not much unlike the ones she and Faolan had moved between. Chan had been telling the truth; most of it was occupied by tall, pungent piles of herbs that smelled a lot like Chan herself. _No wonder she smells like plants._

She studied the place. Large rocks protected two sides, there was a stream running along one, and the entrance was fairly narrow. _Looks fairly safe. I could sleep here, if I can ignore the smell._

"The smell of all these herbs can take some getting used to," Chan said, reading her expression correctly. Then she smiled strangely; it made Phaedra feel uneasy. "But I have faith in you."

Before Phaedra could ask her what she meant, the medicine cat had disappeared.

_Might as well get some sleep,_ Phaedra thought, and closed her eyes, but getting to sleep was harder than usual. She was as safe as she ever would be here, but something about the medicine cat made her uneasy. Chan was nice enough, but...

What was it? She couldn't put her paw on it. Something about her appearance...she shook the thought off. She needed rest, or she would never find Faolan. She missed the sight of his black pelt more than she had ever missed anything. "Faolan..."

It was the last word she uttered before falling asleep.

xXx...xXx

Just outside the hollow, the medicine cat Chanlyeya tensed when she heard the red cat utter the name.

Was it possible? Could it really be that coincidental? No, nothing happened out of coincidence...StarClan determined fate and lay down destinies for each cat to follow. Had StarClan sent the red cat to her? Was the prophecy going to be solved that simply?

She remembered the words of the prophecy clearly; she had dreamed it so many times. Different cats from StarClan came to her each night, all whispering the same thing...last night it had been her dead mother. "Listen closely, my beauty," the beautiful tabby she-cat had murmured. "StarClan has a prophecy..."

_Moon Goddess tell, _Chan had whispered inside her head, matching each word as her mother spoke it, _and Kosuke fall in flames. She-cat with a pelt of flame will vanquish the demon, and fire and ice will unite to create...or destroy._

Thoughts of the prophecy drifted away for a moment as she remembered the name the red cat had whispered. "Oh, Faolan," Chan sighed, a single tear forming at the corner of each eye. "Oh, Faolan." The amber orbs hardened with hate, and the medicine cat raised a paw, stroking the bone amulet at her neck.


	16. Chapter Thirteen: Memories

**Maybe she'll find him in this chapter. I haven't decided yet...we'll see how it goes. Enjoy! Did you like the ending of the last chapter?**

**Chapter Thirteen: Memories**

Voices. They jabbed at Phaedra's aching head as she tried fruitlessly to sleep. Were they real, or part of her dreams? _Leave me alone..._

"You told her your _name_? What if she's a ShadowCat? You, of all cats, should know how dangerous that is!"

"You don't need to remind me, Daemyn. I - "

"Shh. It's _Toric._ You may feel free to reveal your real name to any strange cat you happen to meet, but I'm needed in Kyto, not in StarClan."

With a sigh, Phaedra forced her eyes open. Chan was sitting a few paces away with her fluffy tail curled resolutely over her paws. Next to her was a dark brown tabby tom whose anger scent masked the pungent odor of the herbs. "Uh...hello?"

The tom jerked around, green eyes staring suspiciously at her. Chan got up and walked over, sitting protectively next to her. Between gritted teeth, she said with an air of suppressed anger, "This is Dae - "

"Toric," the tom interrupted. "It's Toric."

"It's okay...I heard you talking. Hi, Daemyn." Daemyn shot a look of pure venom at Chan, who looked away.

Chan let out a long breath and seemed to decide to simply ignore Daemyn. Turning deliberately so that her back was to the heavily built tom, she fixed her amber gaze on Phaedra. "Are you all right? Rested?"

"Yeah..." With a yawn, Phaedra got up and began to stretch. When she was done, she trotted over to the stream running between the two boulders and drank deeply. Water dripped from her sodden scarlet chin as she turned back to Chan and Daemyn. Now was the time for proper thanks. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here..."

"No problem. Stay as long as you want," Chan said, a little too quickly. With a glance at Daemyn, she continued, "There's plenty of prey, and I'm sure Daemyn wouldn't mind. Would you, Daemyn?"

"No, I wouldn't, _Chanlyeya._" Daemyn's words were forced through gritted teeth. Then, with a snarl aimed mostly at Chan, he turned and stormed out of the hollow. Phaedra jumped to her paws.

"I can tell I'm not welcome. You probably don't want me hunting in your territory. I'll leave now."

"No, stay. Daemyn's hostile towards every cat - it's not personal. Pardon if this is too personal, but..." The medicine cat's amber eyes scanned Phaedra's skinny frame. "You look like you haven't been eating very well. Do you know how to fish?"

"No, I..." Phaedra's words died on her tongue as she realized what had been bothering her about Chanlyeya. Almost completely hidden in the long, silky fur of her neck was a bone amulet. She raised a shaking paw to point at it. "Where...where did you get that?" Her voice was hoarse. It couldn't be the same one. It couldn't.

Chanlyeya followed her gaze to the amulet. "Oh, this?" Her tone hardened ever so slightly - or maybe Phaedra was imagining it. "My amulet. Ah...I knew a cat. He gave it to me."

_He._ "What...what was his name?"

This time she was certain that Chan's voice was underlaid with rage. "Faolan. Why, do you know him?" Every word implied that if Phaedra said yes, she could expect to be torn apart.

Phaedra shook her head, her mouth dry. "No. It's just...I heard something about an amulet, once. I've never seen one before." That was true. Chan stared at her for a moment as if she knew she was lying, and Phaedra tensed, ready to defend herself, but the medicine cat's gaze finally wandered to a point just over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. His name...it brings up painful memories."

"What happened?" She knew it was a dangerous question, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. Faolan had never told her anything about a cat called Chanlyeya.

Chanlyeya glanced at her for a moment, then looked away. "Faolan...we were in love once. I was still MoonClan then. I met him at a Gathering...he gave me this amulet. Daemyn...he didn't like him. He tried to chase him off, and it worked. I never saw Faolan again. I've always been angry at him for not standing up to Daemyn, and the moment he left I wanted to destroy the amulet."

"Why didn't you?"

"It has...powerful qualities. Somehow, when I wear it, my healing powers are increased. I think it may have belonged to Qamra, the Moon Goddess. She liked to create artifacts of that nature."

_You're wrong. It belonged to a BloodCat._

Chanlyeya's smile was sad and distant. "I've always dreamed of the days when Qamra was alive. It was a time of compassion and healing...have you heard the legends? I'm sorry. Not every cat believes."

Phaedra shook her head. "No, I haven't heard them. Who exactly is Qamra?"

"Qamra, the Moon Goddess, and Kosuke, the Sun God, looked over Kyto since the beginning of time. They created cat-kind, and made four Clans. When the Clans started warring, Qamra and Kosuke began to argue, and Kosuke killed her accidentally."

"He killed her? How does a goddess die? I mean, are they really alive in the first place?"

Sadness flooded the creamy tabby's eyes. "I don't know. But Qamra disappeared, and whatever was left of Kosuke's following broke up. The Clans lost all faith in his power, and after a while Kosuke disappeared as well. StarClan, their children, tried to rule in their place. However, as you know, StarClan can't directly influence our lives."

Phaedra nodded. _If they could, my father would still be alive and I would be a FireClan cat._ "I know."

"The Clans continued to fight. Every day, more cats died, and more were born. Fighting is in our blood, Zaia...although I know that's not your real name."

Phaedra's blood ran cold. "Yes, it is."

Chan smiled again. "Of course it is. To be cats...it's both a curse and a blessing. We have strong claws and teeth, and a warrior code to help us defend our Clans. Qamra gave us the gift of healing, and Kosuke taught us to hunt. But the same code that makes us loyal to our Clans keeps us apart. The very code that demands loyalty keeps us incapable of helping each other. Warriors were created for a reason...we must fight to survive, and yet by fighting we kill each other. There is no real truth...the only thing I can do is try to heal, like Qamra wanted us to."

_There is truth in her words,_ Phaedra thought silently. _She's right...we do have to fight to survive. But at the same time...oh, Faolan, where are you?_

"Isn't there any hope?" she said aloud. "I mean, to bring Qamra and Kosuke back?"

Chanlyeya fixed her amber eyes on her again. Phaedra felt her fur stand on end. What was it about this cat that made her feel so uneasy? "Of course there is," she said quietly. "The Five."


	17. Chapter Fourteen: Reunion

**I'm not giving anything away. People, review!! Anyway, here you go.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Reunion**

"The Five?" Phaedra repeated incredulously. "As in, _the_ Five?"

"_The_ Five," Chanlyeya confirmed. Then she smiled, revealing pointed fangs. "I'm one of them."

Phaedra didn't realize she was backing away slowly until her paw hit a rock. She forced herself to stop. "You're...the Five...you mean you're...and Daemyn is - _them?_"

"Yes," Chanlyeya replied simply. "There are three others in our group. My brother, Leavitt, Electra, and Syaoran. Daemyn is our leader - I'm the medicine cat. Leavitt is the deputy."

_I'm standing in the presence of one of the Five. It's true. It's really happening._ "That's...that's incredible. Are - are you sure?" _That's a stupid question._

"Of course. When Kosuke died, he left us with a prophecy. For a while every tom, she-cat and kit knew it, but the knowledge gradually died away over the centuries. Only a few cats remember it now. _Fire and ice will bring about the return of the gods._ We interpreted it to mean that two cats, an IceCat and a FireCat, could meld their powers together to bring back Qamra and Kosuke."

Phaedra tipped her head to one side, unable to hide her skepticism. "Really?"

Chanlyeya nodded. "Really. Leavitt is an IceCat - Daemyn is a FireCat. Now all we have to do is find out how to actually effect the melding."

Phaedra nodded slowly, her red fur gradually lying flat. "Um..." She wasn't quite sure how to put it. "This is all...very new to me. I think I need some time to think about it. Do you mind if I...go hunting?"

"Go ahead." The medicine cat watched in silence as Phaedra backed away, stepped over the stream, and disappeared into the tall grass.

_She could be lying,_ she reasoned with herself as she sniffed the air, trying to detect something other than the persistent herb smell. _But somehow, I don't think she is. No one can lie that well._

_Faolan. Did you lie to me?_

She scented hare and moved toward its source, but she was finding it hard to concentrate. If Chanlyeya was telling the truth, Faolan had lied to her. The amulet hadn't been stolen from him at all; it had been a love gift. _I thought we were friends, Faolan!_ she wailed internally. _I thought you told me everything!_

She spotted the hare up ahead and crouched instinctively, sheathing her claws so she could proceed in complete silence. She wasn't as fast as Faolan, so she would have to stay hidden as long as she could before giving chase. Creeping toward the hare, she held her breath so the sound wouldn't give her away.

The hare froze and cocked one long ear, its pointed nose twitching. _Don't run,_ Phaedra pleaded silently. _Please, don't run._

The hare ran.

"No!" Phaedra leapt after it, feeling every tired muscle in her body screaming protest. She ran as fast as she could, but the hare was steadily moving farther and farther ahead. "Come back!" It was no use. She slowed down, panting.

Then, a black shape flitted out from the tall grass and flew after the hare with the ease of long practice, pinning it down with a swift paw and snapping its neck. The stranger's dark blue eyes gleamed as he turned to face Phaedra.

"About time you showed up," Faolan said with a hint of breathy laughter in his familiar voice.

Phaedra stood still, frozen in her tracks, for what seemed like an eternity. "You..."

Faolan took a step forward with an expectant air.

Phaedra threw herself at him and started pummeling every inch of him she could reach.

"Hey - hey!" Faolan protested, trying unsuccesfully to wriggle away. "What's that for? Phaedra!" He managed to free himself from her grip and put a paw out, stopping her from getting any closer.

"You kept running!" she shouted, glaring at him through tear-blurred eyes. "You didn't stop, and I looked for you for a bloody _six days,_ Faolan, you lying mouse-brain!"

That caught him off guard. She could see the hurt in his dark blue eyes. "Lying?"

"Chanlyeya," she said recklessly, and Faolan froze with one paw in the air, staring at her with eyes glazed over. "You told me you _lost_ the bloody thing. You lied to me! She had it, and you knew all this time!"

"He chased me away," Faolan said hoarsely. "Daemyn. You don't know what he's like - he tried to kill me. Too many cats have tried to kill me, Phaedra. I left."

"But you _lied_ to me," Phaedra persisted, wiping away angry tears with a mottled paw. "Why couldn't you just _tell_ me? You bloody mouse-brain, I trusted you! What else did you lie about? Faolan, what else?"

He just stood there with that infuriatingly confused look on his face, staring at her like he was desperately searching for something that he could make her believe. "I..."

"No more lies," she interrupted him. "I promise you, Faolan, if you lie to me I will leave. Forever. And I won't even bother to look for you again."

"I made a mistake," he said quietly. "That was all. I loved her once...and I know that I should have stood up to Daemyn. But I didn't. Then when I met you...I was ashamed, Phaedra. I...I thought you would leave...if I told you how cowardly and selfish I was..."

"I wouldn't have left," Phaedra said angrily. "I wouldn't have. No cat is perfect, Faolan, even if I thought you were, at first. _I_ made mistakes too, Faolan - I should have stood up to Astrid. But I was honest about it."

"Phaedra..."

"I'll let it by," she interrupted him again. "Just this once. I'll let it go...Faolan..."

"Yeah?"

She had stopped crying, by now. "You mouse-brain. Where have you _been_?"

Relief was written in bold across his black face. "I could ask you the same. Does this mean we're friends again?"

She cuffed him playfully on the shoulder with her claws sheathed, and he twitched his ear in amusement. "We always were," she said, and she meant it.

**Okay, I know cats can't cry, but I like to give them some personification. A good story just isn't complete without strong emotions, and strong emotions often call for tears. Isn't that right?**


	18. Chapter Fifteen: Possession

**Yay! She found Faolan...and finally they're coming straight with each other. But what will Chanlyeya do when she finds out he's still alive? Read on and find out! I'm gonna do part of this chapter from her perspective...just doing one cat's POV can get a bit boring after a while, even if the cat is Phaedra.**

**Chapter Fifteen: Possession**

Chanlyeya watched it all through amber eyes hooded with hate.

Faolan...how dare he come here again? After what he had done to her...coaxed her into falling in love, and then tearing her heart to pieces when her emotions were at their peak. He had left her. He must know how much she hated him now. Stupid tom.

She resisted the urge to leap out from the tall grass and tear him apart. If she did that, the red cat would never come over to her side. She needed the strange cat who called herself Zaia...even though she knew that she was lying. Smart she-cat. Chanlyeya had made a mistake in revealing her real name, but she didn't think so-called Zaia would abuse it.

She intended to find out the she-cat's real name, one way or another. Was the red cat really the one in the prophecy StarClan had sent her? _She-cat with a pelt of flame_...the red cat's fur really did look like flame, with its subtle gold and orange patterns snaking their way through a scarlet background. It was much more fitting than Daemyn's dark brown tabby coat...anyway, he was a tom.

Speaking of Daemyn..."I know you're there," Chanlyeya said softly. "Do you think I'm so distracted I can't recognize the sound of your pawsteps?"

Nothing happened for a moment, and then the large tom came and sat by her side. Together they watched the red cat and Faolan through the grass for a few minutes of silence. "Does it hurt?" Daemyn asked suddenly. "Seeing him again?"

"You know the answer to that question," Chanlyeya snapped with a hint of impatience. "Of course it hurts. He left me...and it was your fault."

Daemyn gave a hiss of displeasure. "If he had really loved you, he wouldn't have run away like a cowardly rat when I challenged him. He knew I was the better tom. Filthy ShadowCat."

"I know..." Chanlyeya watched as Faolan and the red she-cat began to argue. Their warring voices fell like stones on her ears. "Why did you chase him off?"

She felt Daemyn stiffen beside her. She knew the truth...she just wanted to hear him say it. "I knew he was going to hurt you," the tom said gruffly. "You're like a sister to me. It's a brother's job to chase off suitors."

"I already have a brother." Chanlyeya turned her tabby head in his direction, eyes glimmering with amusement. "You tease. Stop trying to pretend you weren't jealous."

The tom smirked, though there was no happiness in it. "Maybe I was." His tail crept up over her back and snaked its way around her neck. He leaned his dark head on her shoulder, and she drew away, spitting. "Look at me. Aren't I a better cat than he is?"

She tried to keep the disgust out of her eyes, but it was hard. She did like Daemyn, but only as a friend. An ally, if you will. The tom was so hot-tempered, though...an open rejection could turn him completely against her. "Maybe you are," she said indifferently. "I don't care." Would that tell him, subtly enough, that she wasn't interested?

To her dismay, it did the exact opposite. Daemyn curled his tail over his head and crouched in front of her. His green gaze was playful at first glance, but there was something dark and ambitious there. "Playing hard to get," he growled. "Let's see how much you care."

"No," she said firmly. "I'm leaving." She swished her tail across his nose to make sure he got the message, then turned and left the hollow behind her.

_Stupid tom,_ she thought as she walked toward her herb clearing. _After what he did, he thinks that I'll just turn around and fall for him instead? What a jerk._

Then a thought occurred to her.

_Maybe I can use him._

xXx...xXx

As Phaedra shared the hare with Faolan, she couldn't stop thinking about Chanlyeya. Did the medicine cat still hold feelings for Faolan? And the real question was...what would Phaedra do if she did?

_I don't know what I would do,_ she admitted to herself. _I don't know what to think anymore. I know Faolan is my friend, but..._

"Hey," Faolan said suddenly, swallowing a mouthful of meat. "Does Chan still have that amulet?"

Jealousy burst like a supernova in Phaedra's heart. "Yeah. I saw her wearing it."

Faolan bit off another chunk of meat. Chewing slowly, he looked thoughtful, his dark blue eyes far away. "I should try to get it back, so I can give it back to the BloodCats. It's too dangerous to keep." Spotting Phaedra's jealous expression, he spit out his meat in horror. "I'm not worried about her, mouse-brain! I'm worried about you!"

Phaedra smiled, trying to hide her relief. "I know."

She finished off the rest of the hare and cracked bones with Faolan, sucking down the marrow. When the last bone was sucked dry, Faolan stretched out on the sun-baked ground with a sigh of satisfaction. "Hare is delicious, don't you agree?"

"I don't know," she said, intending to tease him. "I prefer rabbit."

Faolan sat up. "No way! Rabbit slows you down. Hare makes you faster!"

"But rabbit is sweeter," she objected, enjoying the argument. "And juicier, and tastier, and rabbits are easier to catch."

"For lazy cats, sure!" Now she could detect the gleam of amusement in Faolan's blue eyes. "I would expect this from the cat who can't catch her own shadow!"

"No cat can catch her shadow," Phaedra pointed out. "It's impossible. You try."

Faolan smirked at her. "In _my_ twisted universe, I can catch it. That's all that matters to me."

"Well, in _my_ reality, you're about to go catch another hare for me," Phaedra said calmly, wrapping her thick tail contentedly around her paws.

"I can go along with that." Faolan flicked his black tail across her nose before padding out of the hollow.

Phaedra stared after him, a slow smile twitching the corners of her mouth. Faolan was really a good friend...Chanlyeya wouldn't get between them. Would she?


	19. Chapter Sixteen: Fishing

**People aren't reviewing!! Meh. Meck. Eck. Ack. Ick. Bleh. Bleck. Eh. Argh. Blargh. If I don't get at least one more review, I won't post another chapter.**

**Chapter Sixteen: Fishing**

The next day dawned bright and clear, a typical greenleaf shade of blue carpeting the sky with no clouds in sight. Phaedra woke with an unusual sense of peace; she lay on the ground with her eyes open for a few minutes to enjoy it.

After a while she turned her head towards Faolan. Since he didn't want to run into Chanlyeya or Daemyn, they hadn't slept in the medicine cat's hollow. Instead, Faolan had found a small area carpeted with short, soft green grass, instead of the tall, crisp yellow grass that covered most of the Open Plains. Phaedra had collected some moss from the stream between the boulders and brought it back to make their nests.

The black tom was sleeping curled up in his moss nest with his tail tucked, not over his nose as most cats slept, but up and around his ears. Phaedra supposed that was meant to keep his nose free so that, if BloodCats approached, he could scent them immediately.

"Hey. Faolan," she hissed, rising to her paws. The black tom twitched in his sleep and let out a breath of air, stirring a bit of moss near his nose. He sneezed violently and rolled over without waking up.

Phaedra smiled at her sleeping friend. "Okay. You sleep. I'm going to hunt."

She decided to check in with Chan, to make sure it was okay to hunt on the Five's territory. She had done it yesterday, and nobody had seemed to mind, but it was still politer to ask first.

When she entered the medicine cat's hollow, a cat was there, but it wasn't Chan. Instead, a silver tom with gold tabby markings turned to face her. His ice-blue eyes were welcoming.

"Uh...hi?" Phaedra tipped her head to one side in confusion. "I was looking for Chan...who are you?"

"Hi. I'm Leavitt," the tom said in a friendly tone. Extending one paw, he waited with an expectant air. Phaedra stared at him, baffled. "Oh, sorry. It's something we do, out here in the Open Plains. When you meet somebody, you sheathe your claws and touch paws. It's kind of like a guarantee that you're not going to fight."

"Oh. That explains why I kept getting chased off by rogues." Phaedra liked the tom already. His voice had a trusting, friendly tone that completely contrasted Daemyn's deep growl. "So...you're Chan's brother?"

"That's right," Leavitt said cheerfully. "She was going to teach you how to fish today, but she was running low on some of her herbs, so she asked me to do it instead."

"Fish?" That sounded kind of odd to Phaedra. "Are there any...big streams around here?"

Leavitt smiled. "Follow me."

He led her for several minutes through the tall grass; it reminded her of following Faolan when they were looking for a new place to sleep. Leavitt's tail curled up in the same way that Faolan's did. There were a few other similar features; both toms had slender, streamlined frames and small paws. Both of them also had slim, pointed muzzles and slanted eyes.

Before long Phaedra's ears pricked; she could hear rushing water, and a lot of it. At last the grass thinned and opened up to reveal a river. Phaedra's eyes widened in surprise; it was at least a dozen tail-lengths wide, and now that they were closer the noise of the current was deafening.

"Cool," she said appreciatively, taking a drink from the edge of the river. It was so cold that she almost spat it out - swallowing with difficulty, she caught up with Leavitt. He was standing on a rock that extended over the river, waiting for her.

"I'll demonstrate," he called over his shoulder, staring into the fast-flowing water with a paw extended over the side of the rock. Phaedra followed his gaze to a shallow point within easy paw reach, next to a boulder jutting out of the water. A flash of silver appeared for a moment, and, in a movement almost too fast for Phaedra to see, Leavitt's paw darted in. The next thing she knew, the fish was flopping on the rock, its mouth flapping open and closed.

"There you go," Leavitt said, his ice-blue eyes sparkling. "Pin it down."

Phaedra put a paw on top of the fish, unsheathing the claws on her other paw in preparation to deal the final blow. Leavitt stopped her. "Wait. Just let it die naturally. If you claw it, you'll bleed it out and the meat will toughen."

"Right." Phaedra waited for the fish to stop flopping, and took a bite of the flaky fish meat. "Mmm. This is good. I've never had fish before."

"Really? What Clan were you?"

"FireClan."

"Ah, that explains it. FireClan has no access to the river, do they?" Phaedra shook his head. "MoonClan doesn't either, but they have their lake. Have you seen it?"

"Actually, I have. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Stunning," Leavitt agreed. He smiled and moved aside, making room for Phaedra to get within fishing range. "You saw what I did, go ahead and try it."

"You mean...like this?" Phaedra flashed out her paw into the river, almost falling off the rock in the process. "Sorry, that was bad."

"No, that was all right. With fishing, practice is key. The earlier you learn, the easier it is, so you might have a hard time. I learned when I was barely an apprentice, so...it's kinda ingrained." Leavitt demonstrated again - all Phaedra could see of his paw was a silver flash. "When you see a fish, just lunge for it. You probably won't catch it the first time, but just keep trying."

Phaedra nodded. "Okay." She focused on the shallow point in the river again, watching for the silver gleam of a fish. A heartbeat later, she saw it, but it was gone before she could lunge. "Eurgh! They're too fast!"

"Just wait," Leavitt advised from behind her. "Some are faster than others. The smaller ones, mostly. Those aren't worth a meal. You're looking for the big, slow ones."

Phaedra forced herself to calm down, breathing slowly. She was frustrated easily. "Okay. I'm cool." She stared into the river, willing for a slow fish to come along.

A few minutes later, it did. She sucked in a quick breath, leaned forward, and lunged. And this time, she _did_ fall into the river.

"Leavitt!" she tried to shout, but water filled her mouth as she went under. She grabbed for the boulder with all four paws as she passed, but missed by inches and was swept on, scraping her forepaw so badly on the pebble-covered river bottom that she cried out and choked up riverwater.

She caught a glimpse of the silver tom racing along the riverbank, trying to catch up, and heard his yowl of frustration as she swept around a bend in the river and out of sight. She was on her own. Water filled her senses and her body dragged along the river bottom like a limp piece of fresh-kill, unable to muster the strength to grab a paw-hold. Her lungs cried out for oxygen, but the whirl of water and popping lights rendered her incapable of taking a breath.

_I'm going to die,_ she realized. _I'm going to die and no cat is ever going to find my body. I'll never be able to prove that I was innocent. I didn't kill Dad._

_I'm going to die..._


	20. Chapter Seventeen: Rescue

**Pewterwort is a real herb. It's another name for a certain herb that we all know and love (at least, if you've read Warriors). Look it up.**

**Anywayz...enjoy! AND REVIEW!!**

**Chapter Seventeen: Rescue**

She was in tossing and turning in a world of wild, lurid colors and icy, biting cold. Was it leaf-bare already? Where was her warm moss nest in the apprentice's den? Was she supposed to be on dawn patrol?

No. She was drowning in a cold river, choking on water and bleeding heavily from her forepaw. She was going to die, far away from the warm apprentice's den...

_I wanted to die in battle, against a worthy opponent,_ she thought miserably. Thinking was hard...her brain was working slowly and sluggishly. _Not here...not against a river...not by accident..._

Then came one of those rare moments when her head broke the surface for a split second and she managed to take in a deep breath. As she went under, she saw a she-cat on the riverbank, a mass of creamy tabby fur. Chanlyeya! The medicine cat yowled something and dropped the herbs she had in her mouth, slipping into the river and threading her way through the tossing current like a fish.

_She can swim,_ Phaedra thought hazily. _She's going to save me._

The medicine cat swam closer, and this time Phaedra could hear her voice above the thunder of the river. "Zaia! Hold on, I'm coming!"

_I'll hold on. I'm holding on._

She forced her head above water again and, out of the corner of her eye, caught sight of a black cat racing along the riverbank. "Faolan?" she yowled. The tom paused briefly, glancing around, but didn't spot her. Then he spotted Chanlyeya.

_Don't jump, Faolan. Don't you dare jump._

Faolan jumped.

That's when Phaedra smashed into a boulder. It hit like a wall of granite and knocked all the strength from her body. Her head whirled and stars popped before her eyes. A film of red pain was pushing its way between her and the world...

The next few moments passed in a blur of near-unconsciousness. Through dimming eyes Phaedra saw Faolan swim towards Chanlyeya, grasp the struggling medicine cat tightly in his jaws, and make for the riverbank with strong legs obviously used to swimming. He was almost there when he happened to turn his head and spot Phaedra.

His eyes widened in shock and he let Chanlyeya slip from his grasp. The medicine cat spat at him, eyes narrowed in rage, and hauled herself up onto the bank. Phaedra faintly heard him yowling her name before she was swept out of his reach.

_He saved her. Not me. She's going to live, and I'm going to die._

What a terrible fate. Drowning. She had never wanted it to end this way.

Everything worldly was spinning away...away across a flat white field of endless snow...but it was warm. Warm as a day in greenleaf. The snow wasn't white...it was black. Endless blackness covering her in a warm, comfortable blanket...

_I'm dying,_ she realized.

For only a split second, the blackness was broken by a flash of silver. Just like the gleam of a fish skimming the river bottom...just like the glitter of Leavitt's pale silver pelt...like starlight...

And then she was being dragged, sopping wet, out of the water, falling in a limp heap of soaked fur on the pebbly riverbank. Leavitt threw himself down next to her, the gold tabby markings on his pelt standing out from the silver background, darkened with water. He was quite as wet as her, and heaving for breath - he must have jumped into the river and swum like a fish to catch up.

She coughed up about a gallon of riverwater and choked on it. Leavitt put out a paw and flipped her over onto her stomach. She managed to relax, the fur on her back gradually drying in the gentle summer breeze.

"You all right?" Leavitt asked. His voice was hoarse with exhaustion, but he smiled wearily at her anyway.

"Yeah," she managed to say. "Thanks...for saving me. Faolan..." The last word was unintelligible - she wasn't sure she wanted Leavitt to hear it anyway.

"It's nothing," he said. They lay in silence for a few more minutes, letting the warm air dry their fur. Eventually he added, "Did you see Chan? Who was that tom who dragged her out of the river? I was too far away to see. Chan can swim fine on her own."

Phaedra swallowed. "That was Faolan." _Stupid, stupid me. Why didn't I say Xixan? He's an IceCat. Now he knows Faolan's real name._

"Faolan." To her surprise, Leavitt didn't sound angry.

"You...you don't hate him? Chan...your sister does."

He glanced towards her and saw her expression. "Don't worry, I already knew his name. Chan doesn't keep any secrets from me. I always thought Chan overreacted when he left. It was Daemyn's fault, not Faolan's. We were pretty good friends before Daemyn chased him off."

"Really?" That was a load off her mind. "Sorry, I thought...since you're an IceCat..."

"You thought I'd use his name against him. Faolan knows mine as well. He's a ShadowCat, so our trade of names was even. We trusted each other...I still do. I don't know about him."

Phaedra grinned with relief at the tom. He had rescued her. "So...thanks again. For rescuing me."

"Like I said, it wasn't a big deal."

"Judging by the fact that you're still lying here even though your fur is dry, I'm thinking it was a big deal."

Leavitt cuffed her playfully. "I'm just lazy. Although I'm hungry."

"Well, let's catch some fish, then." Phaedra heaved herself to her paws, spitting out a last mouthful of river water into the grass before padding back along the riverbank. "We're a long way from the rock. D'you know any other good fishing places?"

Leavitt nodded. "Yeah, there's one..." He glanced around, getting his bearings. "A few minutes upriver. Let's go."

"Race you!" Phaedra lit into a quick trot. She was still exhausted from the struggle in the river, but her energy was coming back. The promise of food helped.

"I'm tired," Leavitt complained, dragging his paws along the ground. His ice-blue eyes stared pleadingly at her.

"Kit," she teased.

His silver ears perked. "Am not."

"Prove it!"

"Let's go then, Ms. Non-Swimmer!"

"I'll beat you for that!"

They raced along the riverbank, more energy pumping into Phaedra's veins with every step. She could deal with Faolan later. For now...she had made another friend.


	21. Chapter Eighteen: Arguments

**Yayz, I'm starting to get more reviews. 17 already, although one of them is by me. Anyway, it has now progressed into a love M! (not M as in Mature, M as in 'look at each of the intersecting lines and figure out the love interests')**

**Anywayz, on with the story!**

**Chapter Eighteen: Arguments**

"I'm sorry, okay? I didn't see you!"

"No, it's not okay! Chan can swim fine, you ought to know that!"

All of the temporary happiness Phaedra had felt after fishing with Leavitt was gone. She had met up with a sopping wet Faolan in the hollow where they had slept the previous evening, demanded an explanation, and been met by blazing frustration instead. Apparently Faolan had already been through a lengthy argument with Chanlyeya, and all of his patience had run out.

"It's a fast river! I've never seen Chan swim before, I didn't know she came from MoonClan!"

"Oh, so now she's a _MoonClan_ cat? I thought you hated each other, now you've sat down and discussed history!"

"She does hate me! Anyway, why do you care?"

"I don't!" she spat, sheathing and unsheathing her claws. A series of pinpricks were already driven into the ground where she was pacing up and down, her mottled fur bristling with anger. "And you're about to find out how much I don't care!"

With that, she sheathed her claws a final time and stalked out of the hollow, storming away through the long grass towards the river. She knew she was being _slightly_ unreasonable, but how dare he? Saving the life of the cat who hated him instead of the cat who had traveled with him, befriended him, and risked her life for him running from the BloodCats when she could have just gone her own separate way?

A part of her mind reminded her that he hadn't known she was in the river too, but the other part argued that he shouldn't have tried to save Chanlyeya in the first place. The medicine cat could swim fine, and she would hardly have thanked him for the needless rescue. She wondered what had passed between them after they'd disappeared into the long grass. Angry words, probably, but her jealous half whispered that they might have made up.

_Why do I care? I'm just his friend, no more. Why do I care if they fall in love?_

She did care, though. Maybe something had been happening between them that she hadn't even known about or realized it was happening. The only toms she had ever hung around with were her brothers or her father. They were practically a new species to her; her brothers were hardly chased by BloodCats every other day. Then again, neither were most toms.

_What is it about that mangy tom that makes me care so much about him? All he's done is put me in danger, get me caught by MoonClan cats, leave me to drown, and whine about how I'm being so unfair to him._

_But he rescued me. And he traveled with me, shared his kills with me. He was someone to talk to when I was lonely. He listened to my tale of exile and never questioned my innocence. He was my first real friend._

Just as she was starting to contemplate turning around and apologizing, she heard a voice behind her that was, by now, as familiar as Faolan's. That soft, purring voice, speaking the words of remorse that Phaedra had been about to utter. That lying, stealing snake who wore the bones of cat around her neck.

The she-cat whose voice in Phaedra's ears whispered her love for Faolan.

"They can go to hell," Phaedra spat, and broke into a wild run through the grass.

xXx...xXx

Daemyn watched it all from his hidden hollow, claws tensing and crumbling the earth beneath him.

That red cat...she was smart. Running from Faolan the way she did, would only make him need her more. But at the same time, he longed for Chanlyeya to think of him that way, at the very least. As a tom she loved, but hated at the same time.

"I could make her jealous," he whispered, so quietly that he knew none of the three cats would hear him. "But who?"

He barely knew the red cat, and already registered her as a threat. She wouldn't do at all, not when she was a danger to his reign of the Five. The bloody FireCat. She didn't even know who she really was. Lost daughter of Kosuke, in a figurative tense.

"I'm the real FireCat. Not her." But even those comforting words couldn't help him now. He knew what he really was, and it wasn't Fire. He wasn't Kosuke's flesh and blood, present on earth. If anything, he was the darker side of the demon's circle. It annoyed him, but only slightly. Being evil but seeming good had its advantages.

Good and evil. What were they, really? In the end, the stronger duelist won out. And even evil had its arguments. He might be a demon, enemy of Kosuke and Qamra, but what would their reign bring? Predators. Back in the old days of the god and goddess, phoenixes, dragons, sea serpents, and other fantastic predators had run abound, preying on smaller animals, like cats. In this century, cats were enjoying the free rein that a life without predators brought. Daemyn wanted it to stay that way. He would keep Kosuke and Qamra at bay forever if he had to.

Of course, Kosuke and Qamra had their benefits too. The Clans wouldn't war anymore, and Qamra could spread her healing throughout all the Clans, even MurderClan. Daemyn didn't care much for the gift of healing, but he longed for the elevated skill of hunting and fighting that Kosuke taught. To be invincible; it could really help a lot. Especially if he had to fend off predators like the enormous dragons.

But wouldn't life be better without those gigantic problems, and just the little trifles that warring Clans brought into the fight? Daemyn had made his choice a long time ago. He would prevent Qamra and Kosuke from bringing their godly problems back into Kyto, forever if he had to.

"I'll win her," he whispered, watching that creamy tabby form he wanted more than anything else in Kyto. "Whatever it takes."


	22. Chapter Nineteen: Attack

**20 reviews!! YAY!! 20 reviews and 23 chapters. Yayz. Now you guys just need to catch up to the chapter count with your reviews. Anywayz...I keep using Z's. I like Z's. It would be my favorite letter, if X didn't exist. X's rule!! Anywayz...I mean, anywayx...that sounds weird. I'm gettingzx offzx topiczx. That's hard.**

**ON WITH THE STORY, ALREADYZ!! I'm gonna go back to using just Z's. Don't worry, X, I still luv you!!**

**Chapter Nineteen: Attack**

Phaedra ran for what seemed like hours, though in reality it was probably only a few minutes. When she reached the river, she threw herself down on the bank and stared, unseeing, up at the clouds, trying to find the answers in their fluffy shapes to the questions in her mind.

She might have lain there for the rest of her life, if a voice hadn't interrupted her. "Things on your mind?" A silver head with gold tabby markings blocked out the sunlight above her face.

"Yeah," she sighed. The anger had almost all abated, and now she just felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Things...getting out of paw."

"I won't ask what." Leavitt sat down next to her, grooming his forepaws and swiping them over his ears. It reminded Phaedra of watching her brothers wash their ears, on either side of her in the den; it was strangely comforting. Eventually Leavitt glanced sideways at her. "Looks like you've got some dirt caked between your claws, there."

"I've been running," she said evasively, sitting up and starting to wash them. There was a lot of dirt; her tongue was sore within minutes, and she wasn't even done yet. Leavitt leaned over and gave her paw a lick.

"Let me finish that."

Phaedra sat back as Leavitt finished cleaning her claws for her. That was one thing her brothers had never done. Dragon's own claws were always caked with dirt from running around; when he wasn't on patrol, he was helping out nonstop around the camp. Xingu preferred to train one-on-one with his mentor all day, which equally muddied up his paws. Phaedra wondered how her brothers were coping with the leadership of FireClan. How had it gone at the last Gathering? Had the other leaders showed proper respect? How could they, when they knew the leadership of FireClan had been taken over by two cats who hadn't even finished apprenticeship?

When he was done, Leavitt stood up, stretching his long legs. "Want to go for a walk?"

"Sure." Phaedra gave her paws a last lick and smoothed down the mottled fur before following him downriver. They walked in silence for a few minutes, as Phaedra picked out the place where Chanlyeya had jumped in to save her. "What was Chan doing, so close to the river?"

"Collecting pewterwort. It's one of the herbs she was running out of," Leavitt explained. Talking about Chan made Phaedra's fur bristle, but she didn't show it. Leavitt probably wouldn't take too well to Phaedra calling his sister names.

Eventually her ears pricked as she detected the sound of thundering water, louder than that of the river. The ground dropped off sharply ahead. Walking to the edge of the precipice, she stared at the gigantic waterfall thundering into the biggest expanse of water she had ever seen. "Is that...the..."

"The ocean," Leavitt confirmed. "You would have been carried into it, if...well...if I hadn't saved you."

"Wow." Phaedra stared into the churning water. "I've never seen the sea before."

"This is just an inlet. You should see the real sea, off to the...west..." Leavitt trailed off, staring at something over her shoulder. His eyes widened in horror. "Phaedra? Don't...look...behind you."

Phaedra turned around and looked behind her.

BloodCat scent hung thick in the air, and the group of cats standing before them were most definitely not Midnight.

"BloodCats," Leavitt breathed from beside her. He shifted, almost imperceptibly moving slightly in front of Phaedra.

"You know them?" she asked in surprise, moving up to stand next to him.

Leavitt gave a short, mirthless chuckle. "I've spent enough of my life running from them next to Faolan. They're after you as well?"

"I threw in my lot with the wrong cat," Phaedra muttered.

Leavitt nodded in understanding and turned back to face the BloodCats. Phaedra stiffened, unsheathing her claws in preparation for a fight. The cats in front of her were all toms, with a variety of pelt and eye colors. The only thing the same about all of them was that, like Midnight, they had no pupils.

One of them stepped out from the rest, blazing yellow eyes staring at them, bringing a wave of rancid blood-stench with it. Phaedra involuntarily took a step back, feeling her fur lift. Leavitt's fur did as well. It made him look twice as large as normal.

"Where is the amulet?" the BloodCat demanded. Phaedra couldn't tell if it was looking at her or Leavitt. Could it see at all?

"We don't know," Leavitt answered bravely. Phaedra nudged him.

"But we - "

"We don't know," Leavitt repeated, cutting her off. Phaedra realized that he knew who had it, but wanted to protect his sister. She couldn't blame him.

The BloodCat stiffened, its teeth bared in a snarl. "You lie."

Leavitt and Phaedra exchanged glances. Leavitt didn't know any of the BloodCat's names, so he couldn't use his powers. On the plus side, the BloodCats didn't know theirs either. However, they were outnumbered about six to one. How were they going to get out of this alive?

Leavitt sighed loudly, casting a sideways glance at Phaedra that told her clearly not to interfere. Phaedra realized that he was planning to lie. "Well, okay. You got me. I had it once, but I lost - some cat stole it from me."

_That's the same lie Faolan used against me,_ Phaedra realized. _But Leavitt's using it to save our butts._

The BloodCat glared at him with its pupil-less eyes. It whipped around, turning on Phaedra, who took another step back. "Is that the truth?"

"Yep," Phaedra said, trying to sound as if she wasn't frightened at all. "Yes. Every word. All true."

The BloodCat's grey tail twitched, its whiskers bristling. Then it turned to the other BloodCats. "We will search for this...thief." At this, all of the BloodCats stepped forward, hissing menacingly. "But..." the lead BloodCat continued, turning back to Leavitt and Phaedra, "We leave no witnesses."

"Watch out!" Leavitt yowled, shoving her out of the way with his paw as the BloodCat lunged for her. Phaedra tumbled onto the ground, snarling as the BloodCat's claws grazed her tail. With a chorus of loud snarling, the other BloodCats leaped to defend their leader, attacking Leavitt and Phaedra.

"We've got to run!" she shouted to Leavitt, scoring her claws down the length of a BloodCat's foreleg. "There's too many!" She struggled out from under the writhing heap of fighting cats and started to run. Leavitt streaked ahead and ground to a halt, almost slipping off the edge of the cliff.

"We're trapped," he breathed. "We ran the wrong way."

_There's only one way out of this,_ Phaedra realized. She had no time to tell Leavitt what she was planning - catching his shoulder in her teeth, she dragged him back toward her and leaped.

Down toward the churning sea.


	23. Chapter Twenty: Honesty

**People. Seriously. Need. To. Review.**

**Oh, and by the way, I won Frostfoot-Dreamleaf's contest! I'll be her co-author for the story _Stolen Hope. _Coolio.**

**Read on!**

**Chapter Twenty: Honesty**

They plummeted from the cliff. Phaedra's claws were locked in Leavitt's scruff; she couldn't have let go even if she wanted to. Both cats were yowling in fear at the top of their lungs; Phaedra screwed her eyes shut in preparation for impact.

The noise of the splash was barely audible above the sound of the thundering waterfall. The two cats plunged deep into the blue-green water. The salt stung Phaedra's nose and ears, and her eyes when she managed to open them. The water was shot through with sunlight, lending a mystical glow to the kelp forests.

_It's beautiful,_ Phaedra thought vaguely, as her claws ensnared in Leavitt's fur tugged her upwards. _It's like another world._

Then her head was exploding out of the water, and she and Leavitt were both gasping for breath. Leavitt's long gray fur was slicked back against his head and floating out around his churning paws. He helped Phaedra, who had never learned to swim properly, paddle over to one of the black rocks they had miraculously missed and climb out on top, where she threw herself down, still gasping for breath.

Leavitt crawled up next to her. His fur was darkened with water and looked almost black. The gold markings still shone in the sunlight, however. His ice-blue eyes were gleaming with exhilaration. "That," he panted, "was close."

"You're telling me," Phaedra croaked, spitting salty water out of her mouth. "I almost drown twice in one day."

"Water doesn't like you," Leavitt teased. For a while they just lay on the black rock, letting their fur dry in the harsh sea wind. As the water droplets in their fur gradually disappeared, they left behind tiny white crystals of salt that chafed against their skin when they moved. With an effort, Phaedra sat up, wincing, and began to clean the salt from her fur.

"You've saved my life twice today," Phaedra said quietly, between licks.

"That's true," Leavitt agreed, grooming his own fur. The salt felt harsh and unfamiliar on Phaedra's tongue, and she had to keep spitting it out.

"So, I think you deserve to know my real name."

Leavitt stopped licking his paws and turned his head towards her. When he spoke, his voice was tinged with hurt. "You mean it's not Zaia?"

"No, it's Phaedra." Phaedra turned to look him directly in the eyes, wincing a little as the salt she hadn't yet cleaned from her fur chafed against her skin. "I should have told you before...can you forgive me?"

"It's okay." Leavitt went back to grooming. "I don't blame you. If I were a different cat, I could have used it against you."

Phaedra glanced at him out of the corner of her blue eyes. "Your real name's Leavitt, right?"

"Yeah. I knew you weren't the type of cat to abuse it...and I didn't have time to think up an alias." Leavitt grinned shamefacedly, the wet fur between his ears dripping water into his eyes. "After Faolan left, I didn't have much reason to use one. The BloodCats were chasing him, not me."

Phaedra shook her head in consternation, realizing what she had done. "But - but now they're chasing all three of us! As long as I stay with you and the rest of the Five, I'm putting all of you in danger. Faolan too. We should leave..."

"They're not after you," Leavitt reminded her. "Or me, or Faolan any longer. I don't know who they're chasing. I hope it's not Chan..."

Guilt and anger twisted in Phaedra's belly simultaneously. It wasn't a comfortable sensation. "I don't think so. We didn't give it away." For a moment, she almost wished they had - then she brushed the vengeful feeling away. Chan wasn't a bad cat...circumstance had made it seem so to Phaedra.

Leavitt flopped down on the rock again, most of the salt cleaned from his fur. Phaedra finished grooming her own and remained sitting up, staring into the blue-green water that lapped restlessly at the edges of their rock. "Why does it do that?" she wondered aloud. "Is it trying to get us?"

Leavitt laughed, dipping his tail-tip in the water. "Of course not. Nerei, the Sea Goddess makes the waves. She's so big that whenever she breathes out, the tide comes in. When she breathes in, the tide goes out. And whenever her children, the Nereids, move, the thrashing of their tales make the waves come."

Phaedra cast him a sideways glance. "More gods? I'm not sure if all of this is true. Sorry if this offends, but I've never heard of Qamra or Kosuke or this Nerei until I met the Five."

"No, of course not." Leavitt turned so that he was facing the wide blue sky. His eyes reflected the clouds drifting across the great expanse; their ice-blue depths looked distant and faraway. "If it weren't for Chan, I probably wouldn't believe it either. But she's proved it to me, many times. Even if she hadn't, I probably would have taken her word. She is my sister, after all."

Shifting so that one of her forelegs dangled over the edge of the rock, Phaedra twirled her claws in the water, watching the ripples spread outward from her paw. "Let's say I believe all of this. What, exactly, is the Five's purpose? I know you guys want to bring back Qamra and Kosuke, but why? I mean" - here she withdrew her paw from the water - "apart from MurderClan, there's not much wrong with Kyto these days."

"But there's MurderClan," Leavitt pointed out, giving his claws a lick. Phaedra noticed that instead of normal black like her claws, they were a cold ice-blue like his eyes. He had probably done like Faolan and changed them to ice. "They're the cruelest cats in existence. Only BloodCats are more murderous. Nyxclaw does things for his own gain only, not for his Clan. He's leader because he tricked his way there, not because his cats are loyal to him."

"True, but what are Qamra and Kosuke going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Leavitt murmured, his gaze still far away. "That's more of Chan's thing. I'm basically our brains, and backup firepower - or icepower - if Daemyn needs it. I figure out how to keep the rogues off our territory, and I figure out how many fish we need to catch each day. Daemyn's our leader, not me, and Chan's the medicine cat. They've both got connections with StarClan that I haven't got."

"But there's five of you, aren't there? Who are the other two?"

"Syaoran and Electra. They're our main muscle - Syaoran's the biggest cat you ever saw, and Electra knows how to use rocks to sharpen her claws and teeth. I haven't really got much interest in fighting. Daemyn made me deputy instead of Syaoran because I'm an IceCat, and he needs me to fulfill the prophecy."

Phaedra nodded absently, still trying to figure it all out in her head. From the day she had been exiled from FireClan and met Faolan, her whole world had started changing. With Midnight and the Five added in, what was going to happen to her?

"Why is Chan so interested in me?" she asked quietly, turning to Leavitt. The tom's ice-blue eyes lost their distant look and focused on Phaedra. "She wants me to stay on the Five's territory - she was even willing to cross Daemyn for it. And the way she looks at me...it's like I'm a juicy piece of fresh-kill she wants to save for when she's hungry." She hoped Leavitt wouldn't take offense - after all, it was his sister she was talking about.

However, Leavitt just rolled his eyes and traced his claws on the black rock's surface. "Chan's always arguing with Daemyn - she just can't follow his orders. So far, we haven't been able to figure out the Summoning by ourselves, so Chan's been bugging Daemyn to throw some new cats in. Recruit some outsider brainpower to get a new perspective on things. You're the only rogue besides Faolan who hasn't spat in our faces and run off...so Chan probably wants to know what you think about this whole Summoning thing."

Phaedra was confused. "Why didn't she just tell me that?"

Leavitt shrugged. "Who knows? Chan likes her mystery - it's one of the ways me and her are different."

_You two are different in a lot of ways,_ Phaedra thought silently. _If only you knew._

**Sorry that ending was kind of hasty...I just felt like it was time to wrap up the chapter. Hope you liked it!**


	24. Chapter TwentyOne: Changes

**Here you go...the next chapter. I don't know exactly what's going to happen; I'm making it up as I'm going along. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Changes**

It took a long time to find a way back up the cliff. By the time Leavitt and Phaedra had located a winding route leading up the gentlest slope of the cliff, the sun was high in the sky and Phaedra's fur was plastered close to her skin with sweat. Leavitt was panting too, but his eyes shone with satisfaction when they finally reached the top of the waterfall.

The BloodCats were gone, but a lingering stench hung in the air. Phaedra wrinkled her nose in disgust; the salty smell of the sea mingled with the BloodCat reek and created a whole new level of horrible. "That's disgusting," she hissed to Leavitt, the fur on her back rising.

"Yeah," Leavitt agreed, setting off upriver. Phaedra followed him, her pads sore from the salty swim. She felt the sting acutely every time she trod on a rock. Leavitt was obviously suffering from the same condition; he picked up his paws slowly and delicately, scanning the ground in front of him for a clear spot.

When they neared Chanlyeya's medicine hollow, Phaedra stopped. "I...I should move on...about now...thanks and all for letting me stay here, and for saving my life. But I have to claim some territory of my own somewhere..."

Leavitt turned slowly, deliberately. When he finally faced her, Phaedra was surprised to see a glimmer of mischief in his eyes. "You're going to leave? Are you kidding? After what we've been through today? Daemyn's got to let you stay. There's plenty of prey for all, and I want you to meet Syaoran and Electra."

Phaedra put as much gratitude as was possible into her voice. "Thank you, so much. I just hope Daemyn sees it that way."

_What about Faolan?_ she almost asked, but then anger surged into her mind, making it hard to think. _I don't care about him._

xXx...xXx

While Phaedra and Leavitt were on their adventure with the BloodCats, Faolan and Chanlyeya stood face to face in the little hollow where he had slept the night before. The tabby medicine cat's eyes glimmered with unshed tears, and her voice welled over with emotion. "Faolan...I - I'm sorry..."

"Sorry for what?" Faolan hadn't meant to make it sound so harsh; he was just so surprised at Chanlyeya's sudden change from angry and accusing to teary apologies. "Sorry for completely condemning me when I left? Or sorry for almost clawing my ears off when I saved you from the river?"

"Both," Chanlyeya whispered. Her long, silky fur was still wet with riverwater, and her tail trailed along the muddy ground. "I know I overreacted when you left, Faolan. I loved you...and I didn't want you to go. I know now that it was Daemyn's fault, not yours, but I wanted to blame you because I was so angry. And I still love you..." She took a step closer.

Faolan leaped backwards, keeping out of the medicine cat's reach. This new, teary Chanlyeya baffled him. She had never been like this before...had Daemyn had this effect on her while he was gone? "I - it's over, Chan. It was over a long time ago. And if you...love me, why were you angry today?"

With a jolt of surprise, he noticed that she was still wearing the amulet he had given her. It had been at least two seasons since he had left...had she kept it all this time? If she had, it was unlikely she was still angry with him. Why would a rejected she-cat keep something a former lover had given her?

"I was confused," Chanlyeya admitted. "I didn't know whether to be angry or to thank you. But I'm apologizing now...isn't that good enough for you? Aren't I good enough?" She looked so desperate that Faolan took another step back, utterly confused. He couldn't just shatter her hope like this...but how could he accept? He didn't love her anymore. Couldn't she realize that, and leave him alone?

"Daemyn's better for you than I am," he croaked, almost unable to believe the words were coming out of his own mouth. "He won't leave you. And he'll bring back Qamra and Kosuke, not me. I'm a ShadowCat, remember? The only prophecies I'm part of are about darkness and despair." It was true. Qamra and Kosuke had condemned the ShadowCats; they were just too powerful, not bound to one element like a FireCat or IceCat, but able to master any of them.

Chanlyeya stared at him, and for a moment Faolan could see the kit behind her amber eyes. The kit begging to be forgiven, pleading to be accepted. Faolan wanted to, and yet he didn't want to. As much as he tried to muster some kind of love or affection for the she-cat standing before him, all he could find inside him was pity.

"I see," she whispered, and turned around, disappearing into the long grass.

_That's it? She's just going to give up and leave? That's not like Chan._

As Chan left the hollow behind, the tears welling up in her amber eyes spilled over and left tracks down her tabby-marked face. "I'll have you, Faolan," she whispered to herself. "I'll do anything and everything...I'll have you in the end."

xXx...xXx

**Okay, I desperately need your guys' opinions. Who should which cat end up with? Tell me your favorite shipping so far. The choices: FaolanxPhaedra, LeavittxPhaedra, FaolanxChanlyeya, ChanlyeyaxDaemyn, or any other that you can think of. By the way, there's probably going to be about ten-fifteen more chapters, and a definite sequel after that. I also might write fanfics of this fanfic, like ZevxCytheria and such. Remember, review with your opinions on the shippings!**


	25. Chapter TwentyTwo: Catnapped

**Wow, I've had a long break since the last chapter! During which I started up a new story, Tanglefur's Loyalty. If you haven't read it, go read it. AND REVIEW!!**

**Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter. Syaoran and Electra make their appearance at long last, and someone - I'm not telling who - gets captured by the BloodCats. Whoo-whee!! Syaoran's one of my favorite characters, by the way. He's so much fun to write about XD**

**Meh, I REALLY want to start my new story, _Mirror Image_, but I think I should finish at least one of my chapter stories first. (meaning this one, _Tanglefur's Loyalty, _and _Distant Wingbeats_.) Probably this one, since I just started _Tanglefur's Loyalty_ and I'm at a stuck point with _Distant Wingbeats_.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Catnapped**

Though she didn't want to admit it to Leavitt, Phaedra was a little nervous about meeting the last two members of the Five. Would they be hostile like Daemyn, or nice like Leavitt? Or nice at first, then backstabbing later like Chanlyeya?

However, she made no protest as Leavitt led her through the long grass toward the Five's hidden camp. She was glad that Leavitt had invited her to stay, but she didn't know whether Daemyn would agree. And wasn't he the leader of the Five?

"We're here," Leavitt announced suddenly, pulling up to a stop in a tiny, grassy hollow.

Phaedra glanced at him incredulously. "You're joking. Where?"

Leavitt pointed with his tail to a hump of grass rising in the center of the hollow. Phaedra walked closer and realized that it was, in fact, a hole just big enough for a cat to slip into. "You want me to go in there?" She had always been a little claustrophobic and didn't like tight spaces much.

"The camp is underground," Leavitt explained. "It used to be a badger set, but we made it bigger and added more dens. That way, no one can find us. No other cats live underground."

"There's a reason for that," Phaedra muttered, but she slipped into the hole anyway.

Fortunately, it opened up quickly into a large chamber, big enough for three or four cats at a time and dimly lit by the sunlight from above. Five dark holes opened off from the main burrow - Phaedra couldn't see into them. Leavitt slithered down after her, both cats blinking in the gloom. "That's my den," he said, gesturing toward one of the holes.

Phaedra sniffed the air. She could smell another cat nearby. "There's someone else..."

"That's right," Leavitt interrupted her. Turning to the den next to his, he called into the darkness, "Hey, Syaoran! C'mon out. There's someone wants to see you!"

There was brief silence - then a heavy yawn that sounded loud in the close space. Then a cat emerged from the pitch blackness of the den. He was the biggest tom Phaedra had ever seen; his paws alone were almost as large as her head. She shrank back, a little intimidated by his enormous size.

"This is Syaoran," Leavitt said calmly. He looked like a kit in front of the huge tom, who grinned lazily at Phaedra. His fur looked black, but then again, so did Leavitt's, in the dim light.

"What's up, Leavitt?" Phaedra winced as the tom biffed Leavitt playfully on the shoulder with a huge paw that almost sent him tumbling into Phaedra. "Who's your friend?" His large yellow eyes turned on Phaedra.

"Her name's Phaedra. I've invited her to stay here."

"Hi, Phaedra," Syaoran said in a friendly tone, inclining his enormous dark head to her. "Got past Daemyn, then, did you?"

"Not exactly," Phaedra muttered, but Syaoran's deep voice had a calming effect, and she couldn't help relaxing. Even her fury at Chanlyeya and Faolan softened slightly.

"Oh-ho, making decisions without the big man, are you, Leavitt?" Syaoran yawned again, opening his jaws so wide Phaedra could see every one of his sharp white teeth. "She seems nice enough...if Daemyn asks, I'll put in a word or two for her."

"Thanks, Syaoran," Leavitt said gratefully. "Where's Electra?"

"Out hunting. She said she wanted to rouse up a couple moorhens. You should find her..." another yawn "...around the hollow somewhere. I've got to get some more sleep. Later." With that, he trudged back into his den, enveloped in blackness once more.

Phaedra wasted no time in climbing out of the burrow again - the brief enclosure underground had strengthened her claustrophobia tenfold. Leavitt followed her, blinking as his silver head emerged into the sunlight. "So, what did you think of Syaoran?" he asked nonchalantly, as if the black tom were a new piece of prey Phaedra had sampled.

"Really big," Phaedra said truthfully.

Leavitt laughed. "Yeah, that's the impression I got when I first met him, too. Don't worry, Electra's a lot smaller. She should be around here somewhere." He lifted his head, scenting the air. Phaedra copied him. Sure enough, she could smell another cat, close by. "Yep. This way."

She followed him through the tall grass for a few minutes, the scent of she-cat growing stronger the whole time, until they hit upon another hollow. This one was occupied: a wiry tortoiseshell she-cat was crouched at the edge, her back to them, about to pounce on a mouse nibbling on some seeds. When Phaedra and Leavitt entered the hollow, the mouse fled - the she-cat sprang and missed. "Bloody StarClan!"

"Sorry," Leavitt apologized as the she-cat turned and glared at them with the brightest gold eyes Phaedra had ever seen on anything other than a hawk.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," the she-cat hissed, her tail flicking angrily. "Do you know how much prey it takes to feed that big tank? I could be out here for another moon trying to catch enough fresh-kill!"

"By 'big tank,' I suppose you mean Syaoran?"

"No, the water monster that lives in the Eye of the Moon," the she-cat retorted sarcastically. Then she caught sight of Phaedra, standing behind Leavitt, and her eyes widened and softened simultaneously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Phaedra," Phaedra introduced herself, stepping out from behind Leavitt. She glanced in the direction the mouse had fled. "Sorry about that."

"It's all right. It was Leavitt, not you. He's noisier than Syaoran when you wake him up from a nap. I'm Electra, by the way. Excuse me for asking, but...what are you doing here? Daemyn hardly welcomes visitors. I suppose you could tell, from the location of our camp." The she-cat talked very fast; Phaedra took a moment to process what she had said before opening her mouth to answer. Leavitt cut her off.

"I've invited her to stay with us. She hasn't claimed territory yet."

"Mouse-brain," Electra hissed, catching Phaedra by surprise. "Daemyn won't like you making decisions without him. And the Five fight alone - you know that."

"Maybe that's why we keep losing our fights," Leavitt pointed out, his tail beginning to lash. Leaning closer to Phaedra, he muttered in her ear, "Don't worry about Electra. Her tongue is sharper than her claws."

Overhearing, Electra unsheathed her claws. "Say that again, and I'll show you just how sharp my - "

She was cut off by the loud arrival of another cat. With an enormous crackle of dry grass, Daemyn crashed into the hollow. His green eyes were wide with an anguish that clearly surprised both Leavitt and Electra, both of which took a step back. Uncertainly, Leavitt asked, "Daemyn, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Daemyn said hastily, "but that doesn't matter. Chanlyeya's been taken prisoner!"

**Lolz, cliffhanger. I'll leave you guys hanging until the next chapter.**


	26. Chapter TwentyThree: Mission

**Bweep. Yeah...sorry I'm not updating quite as frequently anymore, I've got a lot on my plate pertaining to fanfiction. First of all, I've got four chappie stories going, and I'm working on a one-shot request for Riverlee, and I'm betareading for The Forgotten Phoenix's story _The Origin's of Bloodpool_, etc., etc., etc. Also co-authoring for _Stolden Hope_.**

**Chapter TwentyThree: Mission**

Phaedra stood frozen to the spot, different emotions battling in her mind like warring Clans. Yes, she hated Chanlyeya and didn't care one way or another if she was captured. But, at the same time, guilt pierced her to the core. Would she really let a cat die because of a grudge?

She was still trying to decide when Leavitt burst out in a shocked tone, "What? What are you talking about, Daemyn?"

She glanced sideways at him and saw the panic in his blue eyes. That decided it for her. She would do it for Leavitt, not Chanlyeya. He had saved her life twice; it was the least she could do.

"The BloodCats," Daemyn panted. His dark tabby fur was ruffled, and his pads were oozing blood - probably from thorns. "There were too many of them, and I didn't know any of their names. I couldn't do anything. They took her."

Electra stepped forward, her golden eyes glinting. "Do you know where they took her? We've got to rescue her."

"I don't know. North - that's all I know."

Leavitt and Electra stiffened. Phaedra could smell the fear-scent coming off both cats. "You mean the Ashlands?" Leavitt whispered.

Phaedra stepped forward, puzzled. "What are the Ashlands?"

Electra's eyes were still narrowed in shock and her claws dug into the earth, but she turned to Phaedra and managed to mew, "You honestly don't know what the Ashlands are?"

"They're fire mountains," Leavitt explained. "A chain of them, surrounding a valley. The ground is covered in ash - no cat can live there, with the poisonous smoke from the mountains."

"But the BloodCats manage it," Electra hissed. "That's no surprise, seeing as they're barely alive, anyway."

Phaedra turned to face Daemyn. She forced aside her dislike for the dark tabby tom; they were in this together, like it or not. "Do you think that's where they've brought Chan? The Ashlands?"

Daemyn nodded slowly.

"Well, then," Phaedra said with an air of finality, turning to face Electra and Leavitt once more. "That's where we're going."

- - -

"So, let me get this straight. This is our plan. We get Daemyn to stop the fire mountains from erupting, first of all, so we can get through the Smoky Pass. Then Leavitt freezes the ground so we can walk over the ash without suffocating. Is that it?"

"That's it," Phaedra confirmed, glancing at Daemyn, who remained silent. She wasn't sure why the dark tabby tom was so unhappy with their plan. It should be easy to complete, since Daemyn and Leavitt had elemental powers, and since they weren't battling living beings, they wouldn't have to know any names.

"Sounds simple," Electra commented. Then she asked the question Phaedra knew she had been dying to ask ever since they had come up with the plan. "And what're we going to do once we get through the Pass?"

"I don't know," Phaedra mewed wearily. "It's touch-and-go from there."

"Great. We're just going to wing it." A brief pause, and then Electra added, "We're dead."

Syaoran gave her a comforting nudge that almost knocked her off her paws. "Maybe not. I have complete faith in Daemyn and Leavitt. They'll get us through."

Leavitt beamed, but on Phaedra's left, Daemyn gave an uncomfortable twitch. Again she wondered why he was so reluctant to go along with the plan.

After formulating the plan, Electra had gone to fetch Syaoran while Leavitt prepared traveling herbs. He was no medicine cat, but he had learned a few things from his sister, and the traveling herbs had worked well enough. Phaedra twitched her whiskers, trying to get rid of the bitter taste. She wanted some fresh-kill, but she wouldn't hold up the group just so she could hunt.

According to Syaoran, the only member of the group who had ever been to the Ashlands, it would be a two-day trip if they traveled quickly and retired for a few hours of rest each night. The BloodCats would be far away by now, but they were still in danger from rogues, so a guard would be posted while the rest of the group rested. Phaedra had agreed to take the first watch, and Leavitt had claimed the second.

Her hungry stomach was appeased soon enough when Daemyn called a hunting break. As of yet, he was leading the group, which was no surprise. Phaedra had come up with the original plan, but she hadn't expected to lead. She was barely even a member of the Five. _The Six_, she thought inwardly, but she hadn't suggested changing the name to the other cats.

She managed to catch a hare, using a hunting technique she had learned from Faolan. A twist of anger seized her stomach as she thought of the black tom. Was he going to rescue Chanlyeya as well? Did he even know that the BloodCats had captured her? If so, did he know that it was _his_ fault, for giving her the amulet in the first place?

She tried to pretend that she didn't care, but eventually she had to admit to herself that she did. Now that the initial anger had passed, she could freely admit that she had been half in love with him all along. _Not anymore._

"Phaedra? Are you all right?"

She had wandered away from the group after finishing her hare, and Leavitt's pale blue eyes shone with concern as he followed her. "I'm fine," she assured him, forcing her paws to follow him back to the rest of the Five, who were still eating.

"Are you sure? You've seemed kind of...out of it." She was aware of his intense stare as she purposefully looked away, pretending to watch Electra stalking a mouse. "Is something wrong?"

"No, there's nothing..." She trailed off as a familiar scent drifted on the wind. Was she imagining it, since its owner was really the only cat she could think about now? Or was it real?

Her question was answered for her as Leavitt's muzzle tilted to taste the air. The silver tom leaped to his paws and exclaimed, "Faolan!"


End file.
